The Art of the Fashion Editorial: Inside the Rarefied World of Getting Published
The elusive fashion editorial—that captivating visual feast that graces the pages of the world's most coveted magazines—represents the pinnacle of sartorial storytelling. Here, we unveil the meticulously choreographed ballet that transforms a designer's vision into glossy immortality.
There is perhaps no moment more electrifying for an emerging designer than the notification that their creation has been immortalized in print. That singular ping of an email—signaling that press images await in one's dashboard—carries with it the intoxicating promise of validation in an industry notorious for its selectivity.
But what alchemy transmutes designer pieces into those covetable, frame-worthy editorials that command attention from the industry's most discerning eyes? We consulted Jaqueline Lunkes, the visionary in-house stylist at Flying Solo, who pulls back the velvet curtain on the exquisite process that catapults independent designers into the haute stratosphere of fashion's most hallowed publications.
The Architectural Foundation of Editorial Excellence
At the heart of Flying Solo's remarkable ascendance lies a meticulously cultivated network of fashion luminaries. Photographers with an uncompromising eye, stylists who speak in the language of silhouette and drape, hair artists who sculpt with the precision of Bernini, makeup visionaries who transform skin into canvas, and the modeling industry's most magnetic faces—these form the creative constellation from which editorial magic is born.
The collective maintains a rarified portfolio of relationships with fashion's most influential arbiters: Elle, Grazia, Glamour, L'Officiel, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, LadyGunn, Contributor, and Flanelle. These carefully nurtured alliances create the perfect stage upon which to showcase exceptional pieces from Flying Solo's stable of designers.
The ultimate triumph? Published works that not only elevate designer creations to objects of desire but celebrate the divine collaborative spirit that defines fashion at its most transcendent. For those who aspire to see their designs immortalized in print, herewith the definitive roadmap from those who orchestrate this transformation daily.
The Decalogue of Editorial Transcendence
1. Curate Your Atelier of Visionaries
Begin by identifying those rare talents whose aesthetic sensibilities align with your own. The photographer—whose gaze will define the narrative—and the stylist—whose instincts will orchestrate the visual symphony—form the cornerstone of any editorial triumph.
2. Conceive the Ineffable
Develop a concept that simultaneously captures the zeitgeist and transcends it. The moodboard—that sacred collage of inspiration—becomes your visual manifesto, guiding every subsequent decision with unerring purpose.
3. Select the Theater for Your Vision
Whether you choose the raw authenticity of location shooting or the controlled perfection of the studio, your setting must serve as both complement and counterpoint to your narrative intentions.
4. Assemble Your Creative Collective
Bring together those alchemists who transform the ordinary into the extraordinary—hair artists who understand architecture, makeup visionaries who paint emotion, models who embody rather than merely wear, and those essential assistants whose invisible efforts form the foundation of seamless execution.
5. Unite Creator with Concept
With surgical precision, select those pieces—from the structured majesty of a perfectly tailored jacket to the whispered poetry of artisanal jewelry—that speak to your editorial narrative with absolute clarity.
6. Choreograph the Visual Narrative
Create a series of tableaux that build upon one another with the narrative tension of a couture collection, each look a chapter in a visual novel that reveals itself with tantalizing restraint.
7. Orchestrate the Performance
Production day arrives with electric anticipation. Garments are steamed to perfection, models undergo metamorphosis under expert hands, photographers conjure light from shadow. Each ensemble receives its moment in this ballet of creativity, with images evaluated with eagle-eyed precision before the next transformation begins.
8. The Digital Atelier
From the thousand fragments of captured beauty emerges a carefully curated selection of approximately thirty images, each one subjected to post-production artistry that enhances without overwhelming the original vision.
9. Compose the Final Manuscript
Fashion's most discerning eyes then distill this visual narrative into its most potent form—selecting those images that speak with the greatest eloquence, arranging them to maximize their collective impact, and crafting those all-important credits that acknowledge each contributor to this collaborative masterpiece.
10. The Submission: A Leap of Faith
The completed dossier is delivered into the hands of those who guard the gates to publication. This final act requires the most exquisite patience as the fashion illuminati determine whether your vision aligns with their own.
The Chronology of Editorial Evolution
This rarefied process typically unfolds over the course of a month from inception to submission. The journey from submission to publication, however, follows no predetermined timeline. Some visual stories find their audience within weeks; others may linger in the ethereal space between creation and revelation for months—even years—before their moment of glory arrives. Only after the official unveiling do these images transcend into the public consciousness through print, digital platforms, or the carefully orchestrated cascade of social media.
The Designer's Manifesto
For designers awaiting this coveted recognition, the path to success lies in creating pieces that speak with authentic voices. Those creations that tell stories as unique as fingerprints naturally draw the attention of fashion's storytellers. This authenticity, more than anything, unlocks the doors to editorial celebration.
Flying Solo: The Vanguard of Fashion Democracy
Emerging from the crucible of 2016, Flying Solo materialized as a revolutionary proposition—that designers might achieve greater heights through collaboration than competition. What began as an almost rebellious collective of ten independent visionaries in New York—who literally constructed their first boutique with their own hands—has metamorphosed into a global platform for sartorial innovation.
Today, this collective represents over 250 designers from across the globe, with flagship sanctuaries in New York City and Paris. The enterprise has orchestrated more than 40 runway spectacles across fashion's most hallowed capitals: New York, Paris, Milan, and Miami.
From its earliest moments, this concept resonated with an industry starved for reinvention. Mere weeks after unveiling its first space, Flying Solo received the benediction of WWD, which declared it "The Future of Retail." This momentum swiftly attracted the attention of The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and New York Magazine—all recognizing that conventional retail structures had become as outdated as last season's silhouette.
Conceived by designers for designers, Flying Solo continues to challenge fashion's established order. With a mission rooted in empowerment, the collective creates space for emerging voices to amplify, gain visibility, and—perhaps most revolutionary of all—find joy in the journey.
The Definitive Platform for Tomorrow's Fashion Luminaries
For independent designers—whether based in New York or navigating the global fashion landscape—seeking to elevate their creations to the next echelon of recognition, alliance with those who understand the terrain becomes essential. Visit FLYING SOLO STORES and position your collections at the epicenter of fashion's most influential capitals, where visibility becomes inevitability and creativity finds its rightful audience.