The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.
When I was younger, my mom would give me a copy of Teen Vogue for Christmas every year, then Seventeen after Teen Vogue went out of print.
I would open it immediately and soak up each page while curled up on my couch. As I got older, I started getting the latest issue of Vogue for my birthday, followed by another Vogue or Elle at Christmas.
I’ve always loved magazines, especially ones about fashion. I remember pouring over them after my mom finished reading her latest copy, obsessed with the photoshoots, perfume samples, and style tips. Even after I read the magazine cover to cover, I would make cutouts of my favourite images and turn them into collages from the glossy pages.
Fashion journalism is a rapidly changing industry, primarily because digital media sources are the dominant methods of news consumption. Over the years, many publications have ceased printing magazines, especially during the pandemic, and have since remained online only.
While some magazines, such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, are still in print, others, such as InStyle and Marie Claire, now only publish their new editions digitally.
There are many selling points to print magazines that online publications can’t compete with. For starters, you can’t collect and display digital magazines the way you can with print. Often, when I buy a magazine, it’s because of a specific cover or content that interests me. I like having a physical copy to read the exclusive interview and see the complete photo shoot of the cover star that caught my interest.
There’s also something special about holding a physical magazine that a website can’t compare to. Whether the magazine will live on my bookshelf next to others or if I’m going to cut it up and use the images in a collage or journal entry, there’s nothing like getting the latest issue of Vogue and being able to see the inside of the fashion world.
Fashion icon Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City once said, “Sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I felt it fed me more,” which I think sums up the magic that the printed magazine holds pretty well.
Before digital issues, the inside of the fashion industry was exclusive to those who read the latest magazine. Those with a subscription or had a cover catch their eye while in line at the grocery store checkout. It was a treat, an almost rare occasion, to receive the latest in fashion news, an interview with the cover star, and various fashion-related articles.
However, social media brings something to the table that print can’t compete with: instant, portable access to fashion news and media. Print magazines are typically finalized two to three months in advance of hitting shelves. Now, you no longer need to wait for the latest issue to arrive in the mail to learn what happened at Fashion Week — instead, you can open Instagram for live updates from the front row.
Another advantage to this convenience is the price. Following fashion news on social media is free and always at your fingertips, while purchasing the physical copy can be expensive and require you to wait per issue.
While some publications, such as Vogue, limit access to their digital articles for non-subscribers, anyone visiting Vogue.com would still be able to view, at least, surface-level information based on their social media posts or published headlines.
Digital fashion news is much more accessible and digestible than print; however, do digital magazines lack that certain appeal of physical copies? As someone who loves collecting magazines and used to savour each free sample and fashion tip their pages held, I would say a digital issue is less appetizing to me when wanting to satisfy my fashion hunger.
With technology such as digital cameras and vinyl records making a comeback, I believe it will soon be time for the return of print fashion magazines. I think Gen Z is fascinated by nostalgia, and print magazines are a perfect outlet for reliving those old-school memories.
The re-emergence of physical media in the current age proves print magazines have a shot at returning to the popularity of their glory days. It’s only a matter of time before magazines start accompanying the digital cameras and Y2K clothing trends that currently dominate Gen Z culture.
You heard it here first: print fashion magazines will never go out of style!
