Guest Lecture: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
"I’d caution against letting social media engineer our sense of style."
GUEST LECTURE: Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
This interview is part of a Feed Me feature called Guest Lecture. In this series, I’ll introduce you all to an expert who I’m curious about, and give paid readers an opportunity to submit questions to them.
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson is a New York-based stylist and fashion editor. Karefa-Johnson’s approach is largely narrative and focused on diversifying representation in the high fashion landscape. She previously served as Fashion Director of GARAGE Magazine, and went on to work at Vogue as Global Contributing Fashion Editor where she styled 13 international covers of Vogue (including Kamala Harris, Margot Robbie, and Bella Hadid). In addition to her editorial work, Karefa-Johnson collaborates with like-minded commercial clients including Nike, Etro, Miu Miu, Calvin Klein, Guest in Residence, Nanushka, Armani, Warby Parker.
“I’ve climbed to the zenith of the establishment, I’ve opened doors for others. I’ve really done the work, and still, to this day, question if I’ll ever really ‘make it.’” - Gabriella Karefa-Johnson
Today, she answers your questions about getting a job in the fashion industry, why fashion loves cars (“they’re hot and fast and are objects of beautiful design”) and what opportunities stylists have with athletes, and why she’d caution against letting social media engineer our sense of style.
“How do you describe the difference between editorial styling (styling for a broader stage, audience) vs. personal styling?” - Grace
Oftentimes it is forgotten that the role of a fashion editor is twofold. Yes, editorial styling is about telling a story — after all these images live on a page, and pages are meant to be turned — and weaving a narrative is one of the best parts of the job! But, editorial styling is also about selling fashion. There are politics and strategy and an incredible level of alchemy in masking all of the effort to check the boxes of a mainstream editorial– between advertisers and alchemy. Editorial styling is complex.
Personal styling is more instinctual. It’s about what feels right. It means expressing who you are, nearly immediately, wherever you show up in the world. When it’s done well it is effortless– editorial styling is anything but.
“I'm curious about how you value being able to prove how bad you want a specific career (ie. committing yourself to a Substack to prove you want to be a journalist; doing free photoshoots with friends to prove you want to be a photographer etc.) and the tendency of waiting to apply for jobs until you feel like you've 'done the work' of building a portfolio?” - Josephine
I remember wanting so desperately to work in fashion and having no idea how to start. Every internship required previous experience which was quizzical because… how? Eventually, someone took a chance on me and I started my path towards working in fashion in the kind of way that can eventually become a living. I learned the trade from a master of it (Tonne Goodman, among others). I retained the skills that worked for me, and reworked the ones that didn’t to build my own practice.
I think admitting that you don’t know where to start and learning from others is more valuable than trying to prove what you can do on your own. I really value apprenticeship. I believe in honing craft and accumulating expertise. The work is all the proof you need. I’ve climbed to the zenith of the establishment, I’ve opened doors for others. I’ve really done the work, and still, to this day, question if I’ll ever really “make it.” I wonder if my work is good. I worry about how much longer I’ll be permitted to do it. Imposter syndrome is a sick bitch of an affliction.
My sister, Donormaal, is a rapper. One of my favorite verses of hers is “jump or die.” It's a head scratcher because to jump is to die, but I guess the question is: what is the alternative?
“Interested in your thoughts on the F1 fashion moment, and more broadly the sports/fashion relationship. Wonder if you think there’s a trend there and how your think fashion brands will capitalize as female sporting fans grow.” - Ananya
Fashion has always had a thing with cars. I mean, they’re hot and fast and are objects of beautiful design. But thanks to Netflix and “Drive to Survive” I am now a Formula One fanatic so I really appreciate this question. A lot of these drivers aren’t really getting fits off like they should be… but if we’re talking about the way this sport intersects with fashion, well, there is no one doing it better than Lewis Hamilton who is styled by the great Eric McNeal. What I love about what Eric and Lewis do together is that they've cultivated an air of anticipation. This is something we’re much more used to on red carpets or during awards season, and, mostly on female talent. But I find myself eagerly awaiting to see what Lewis is wearing around the paddock. I love that he takes real risks– and that he wants a statement. It’s apparent to me that Eric treats every race as an opportunity to demonstrate different facets of Lewis’s style, and to experiment, and push the envelope.
It’s really refreshing in sport, because on a larger scale I feel that the tunnel walk, or courtside looks, have become largely prescriptive, and overall shallow brand marketing opportunities. There’s been a bit of a bastardization of the relationship between sport and fashion. Instead of seeing individual style evolving with a player, we’re seeing instant logomania makeovers. In both women’s and men's fashion, I’m seeing large powerful fashion houses with real directional points of view picking athletes as ambassadors contracted to wear full looks that don’t look or feel like them. It all can get quite transactional and the incredible opportunity to experience the authentic style of these athletes is lost. I love when I see real style in sport, not just a sponsorship.
“What role do stylists and fashion editors play in bringing sustainability to the forefront and curbing overconsumption? Particularly interested in your take on the current state vs. could be or should be. Where does accountability lie within the fashion world?” - Zoe
I myself am guilty of consumption as both an editor and a consumer. Every season, I watch the shows and get giddy as the same ideas start to appear across different cities and at different shows until they coalesce in my mind as what we call a “collections story.” This is what I get most excited about– finding my story.
As editors, we compete for the best looks from each show, even if we intend to use them differently, we want to be there first. Then once we get the look we fly parcels all over the world, back and forth, to prep our stories, then we fly ourselves and those same samples in trunks to the location for our shoot, then we send everyone and everything back. Then, we do it all over again for the next shoot!
“Do I think editors are currently doing all that we can to help combat over consumption and center sustainability in fashion? No!”
So, do I think editors are currently doing all that we can to help combat over consumption and center sustainability in fashion? No! Do I think we can do better? Yes! But to answer your question: accountability lies with every one of us on a macro and micro scale in fashion and every other sector. At the very least, editors should be styling stories with an eye towards longevity rather than newness. At best, we should push to shoot vintage, and upcycled, and newer younger brands that have built their houses on more sustainable practices with greener supply chains. And on a personal level, perhaps I can do without one more item in my closet.
“It seems as though being original in fashion now is really hard with the super rapid trend cycles and being inundated constantly on social media. How do you stay creative and original in such an oversaturated market? On the other hand, how do you pick which trends to follow/style your clients with and which ones to pass on?” - Callahan
I think what’s most important is understanding that there is no rulebook– trends are concepts used to organize how people shop, how they spend their money, and where. Trends have very little to do with actual style. We can let Instagram entertain us, or delight us, but I’d caution against letting social media engineer our sense of style.
Style is a spectrum and trends are binary– good/bad, in/out. Who needs any of that?! Style at its best is deeply personal. The pressure of keeping up with anything or anyone that moves at the speed of the internet is crazy-making so I really just use my internal compass to point me towards fashion that I love, or fashion that maybe I don’t love but that makes me think, or that I haven't seen before. That said, while newness is a metric I appreciate, it’s not the end all and be all– originality is something I strive for when dressing myself and others but there are certain formulas, silhouettes, etc. that I come back to over and over again and many are decidedly NOT on trend.
“I would love to hear your thoughts on directional, emerging brands and designers. Who are you watching and most excited about?” - Molly
About three years ago I judged the L’Oréal Prize for the Masters program at Central Saint Martins. It was during the pandemic and the showcase was digital which was not ideal to see the clothes or meet the makers behind them, but it was a bit of a life changing experience for me because it was there that I was introduced to the work of a rather brilliant Nigerian-Brazilian-British designed named Torishéju. WOW.
Her work feels urgent to me and vital and I knew instantly that she had something to say that we have not heard in fashion in a good long while. Something along the lines of “Fuck it, I’ll do it myself. My way. No compromise,” or at least that's what I imagine her work saying. What is so exciting about Toju to me is that she dares to be herself in a system that doesn't always support Black female designers with the audacity to refuse the boxes ascribed to them. She rejects commerciality and inhabits an aesthetic space similar to our favorite Japanese masters– it was love at first sight.
Weekend water cooler:
I found this reminder in The Atlantic incredibly calming: “Cold showers are free. Meditation is free. Push-ups are free. Breathing is free. All of this vitality is at your fingertips.”
I spoke to Substack’s CEO
yesterday. It was kind of a shitshow but it was fun.
The most recent episode of Puck’s Fashion People makes me think Mel Ottenberg is working on something with Olivia Nuzzi at Interview.
I think it’s really fucking cool that Zuck is into designing his own merch.
Look at this club sandwich I had at The Grill yesterday:
According to a recent WSJ story, sartorial icks on dating apps include:
Patterned shirts
Flip-slops “unless you live in Hawaii or are actually on a beach [in the photo].”
Fedoras
Accessories
Bathroom selfies
The Greenpoint Sweetgreen drama made it into next week’s Approval Matrix
Who among us hasn’t stopped for a breakfast of fried rice after robbing a bank? It’s 👏 ok 👏 to take time for yourself 👏.
This gave me goosebumps:
See you on Monday.
Loved Gabriella’s take on trends vs style, and thank you for introducing me to Torishéju!!!
Now we need Sabrina on the Playground team!!