Eva Horvath

Eva Horvath is an award-winning, full-time independent writer and editor living in New York City. In January 2021, she became New York City’s first coronavirus citizen, after testing positive for the disease. She is the author of the bestselling book The Future of Fashion: How Creativity and Collaboration Will Change the Way We Look At Our Clothes (Simon & Schuster, 2020). Before that, she was the executive style editor of Elle magazine. In addition to her literary career, she has been a judge for the Lucille L’Amour Book Awards and the Andre Agassi Prize for Young Professionals. She has also been appointed to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force on International Economic Reforms and the Advisory Council of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. For many years, she wrote weekly columns for the Financial Times and currently writes a weekly column for the Wall Street Journal.

A Career In Fashion

Eva Horvath’s journey to the world of fashion began at a young age. She grew up in London and as a teenager, she spent many hours poring over her mother’s style magazines. She liked what she saw and decided that she would like to become a magazine editor. She enrolled in London’s Kingston University and in 1994, she began her studies at London’s Goldsmiths College where she earned an MA in English Literature. The following year, she began working at the Financial Times as a feature writer. In 1998, at the age of 23, she became the paper’s fashion editor. A year later, she was promoted to associate editor and assumed additional responsibilities as the FT’s lifestyle editor. In March 2004, she became the editor of Elle magazine and continued in that role until January 2021 when she became New York City’s first coronavirus citizen as a result of contracting the disease. While she was hospitalized and unable to work, she used her time to write The Future of Fashion, which was published in January 2020 to rave reviews.

In The Future of Fashion, she explores the future of fashion and how creativity and collaboration are shaping the way we look at our clothes and accessories. To that end, she identifies three major trends that are changing the industry: 1) sustainability, 2) social media, and 3) transparency. Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Sustainability

While many people will associate the word “sustainable” with environmental concerns, the truth is that sustainability can be defined in many ways. In general, sustainable fashion seeks to minimize a fashion product’s negative impact on the environment by reducing its energy consumption and waste generation. In other words, it seeks to reduce its imprint on the planet. To achieve this, sustainable fashion products are created to be functional and last longer than traditional products. There is also a trend towards more organic cotton and other natural fabrics, water-efficient washing, and repair and upgrading of garments as opposed to replacing them.

Social Media

Social media are playing a huge role in redefining the way consumers discover, research, and purchase fashion. Once upon a time, people went to magazines or turned to word of mouth for advice on what to buy. Now, thanks to the internet and platforms like social media, this has completely changed. Consumers can find virtually everything they want for sale online, including brands and retailers. This has had a major impact on the industry. It used to be that consumers would visit a few select websites to look at articles and buy what they found interesting. Now, with the addition of social media into the equation, thousands of fashion-related articles can be found on a single platform, with the click of a button.

This has made researching and buying fashion a lot easier for consumers, which is good, because with each passing year, it becomes more and more difficult to know where to go to find what you want. Also, thanks to social media, consumers can now follow the fashion trends of people they admire. This means that rather than simply relying on magazine covers and word of mouth, consumers now have a way to discover the trends that matter to them, without actually having to follow them. It’s the perfect way to get inspired and stay current without having to worry about committing to any one style or brand.

Transparency

Increased transparency is putting a huge emphasis on the fact that a brand or company is being honest and upfront about what they are doing. This trend is being spurred on by brands like Stitch Fix, who are striving to offer more value to customers by being more transparent about the services and products they offer. As more and more brands embrace this trend, customers can be certain that they are getting what they’re paying for and that everything is above board. This trend is good for business and good for the environment. Consumers want to know where their money is going and what they’re getting for it. When companies embrace transparency, they are able to build trust with their customers and make them feel like they are part of the decision-making process. This means that rather than just buying a product and having it delivered to them on a platter, customers are more engaged with brands they know and trust.

As you may have guessed, Eva’s work experience had a lot to do with her eventual involvement in fashion. She witnessed first-hand the massive role that magazines such as Elle and Vogue play in popularizing a brand or garment. Thanks to her position at the Financial Times, she was also able to keep a close eye on the industry, as well as gain valuable experience that made her a well-known and respected voice in the fashion world. In her book, Eva highlights three major trends that are changing the way we look at fashion: 1) sustainability, 2) social media, and 3) transparency.

Thanks for listening!