Fashion's big bads aren't so bad any more

If once being ruthless and elbowing your way by sabotaging others and showing selfishness was the only way to climb the ranks in fashion, today, kindness seems to have taken the lead in trends. Gone are the days of the overwhelming Miranda Priestly or the intriguing aura of Edna Mode. Enter the polite and professional Hadid sisters and Simon Porte Jacquemus, who always shares a kind word of encouragement with his models and team before every show. Although it is rare for a creative director to be described as "humble", it seems the codes of fashion are changing. Perhaps its protagonists are finally realizing that there is room for everyone once the impenetrable doors of the fashion world are crossed. Yet, while goodwill, peace, love, and talent are in, it will take some time before the stereotype of the successful fashion magazine editor, well-dressed but unkind, completely disappears.

The intern phase, serving coffee and running away in tears after every interaction with their boss, seems like a rite of passage to gain even a small foothold in the fashion world. However, today's reality is (fortunately) far from these clichés shared by films like The Devil Wears Prada, whose lines we now know by heart. While sour and jealous colleagues are everywhere, across all industries and surely present in fashion offices, the lives of today's fashion interns are far more comfortable, with welcome gifts from major houses, gifts from PR agencies, or free cappuccinos available at all hours of the day and night. It seems that over the years, fashion has been filled with people who are confident enough not to fear that inexperienced newcomers, assigned the least glamorous tasks, are secretly plotting to overthrow them.

Broadly speaking, the industry is increasingly populated with talented figures who are well-intentioned and are there simply to do what they love without sabotaging others. After Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, Victoria Beckham, or John Galliano (all very talented and fashion geniuses, don't get us wrong), come figures like Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, or the late Virgil Abloh, who, in their way, have proven that reaching the top doesn’t require pushing others down. The arrival of a certain openness in fashion, such as the inclusion of plus-size models or those who don't fit classic beauty standards, has certainly helped normalize kindness. Moreover, whether we like it or not, fashion is primarily a community industry, a team effort where collaboration is essential for success. No accomplished designer today has ever reached the top alone. We often forget that behind every collection, every runway show, every article, there’s a team of assistants, couturiers, and "small hands." It is therefore advisable for anyone wishing to shine in the fashion sphere to be kind and build strong alliances. Because if "a million girls would kill for this job, Andrea," perhaps it’s not worth getting an ulcer for a polished CV and a free pair of Dior shoes.