Fashion Resources
Engaging with different types of resources will help you understand your industry on a deeper level.
Caution
When using resources on this guide, continue to evaluate credibility and relevance for your audience. A resource can be considered credible in one situation but questionable in another, or its quality can suddenly degrade. Additionally, credible resources can still contain problematic content like content marketing, inaccurate opinion pieces, flawed research, or misrepresented evidence.
Professional Organizations
Professional organizations and trade associations promote their industries and provide networking opportunities to members. Their websites offer information and educational materials for professionals in the industry.
The following examples are professional organizations for professionals in fashion-related fields:
Trade Publications
Trade journals or trade magazines provide industry-specific insights, giving prospective professionals an insider’s view of the field.
The following examples are trade publications with content relevant to the fashion industry:
Links to page with recent issues of publications from the Accessories Council; make sure you click on the correct publication.
Popular Magazines
Popular magazines, although aimed at a general audience, can be useful for understanding an industry in a larger context or from a consumer’s point of view.
Popular magazines that might be useful to professionals in fashion include:
You also might want to consult business-focused popular magazines like Bloomberg Businessweek, Harvard Business Review, or MIT Sloan Management Review.
Newspapers
Newspapers cover current events relevant to professionals in all fields.
Newspapers with fashion or the business of fashion coverage include:
Most recent month is embargoed
UW-Madison students can create a free personal account through the library
UW-Madison students can create a free personal account through the library
Podcasts
Most industries have reputable experts who podcast about their chosen field, providing an insider’s look. These types of information resources vary widely and require vetting, but can be credible.
The following resources offer useful perspectives on fashion:
Websites
Resources don’t always fall into a specific category, but nonetheless can provide useful information.
- The Cut
- Essence
- Fashion Gone Rogue
- Fashion Times
- FashionUnited
- Glossy
- CR Fashionbook
- Models
- NowFashion
Books
Most industries have notable books that insiders find useful or that have had an influence on that industry. Asking insiders is the best way to find out which books are considered essential in your field.
Here are a few examples of influential fashion books:
- A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire (Amy Butler Greenfield)
- The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir (André Leon Talley)
- Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz (edited by Sarah Fee)
- The End of Fashion: The Mass Marketing of the Clothing Business (Teri Agins)
- Worn: A People’s History of Clothing (Sofi Thanhauser)
Scholarly Journals
Scholarly journals publish in depth research, usually conducted by professors.
The following resources offer academic perspectives on fashion:
On this page
Related pages
More information
This guide details strategies for effective workplace communication and approaches for research in professional settings.