Interview with London Fashion Editor Yana McKillop
I had the pleasure of conversing with Yana McKillop, London fashion editor of ODDA Magazine.
Struck by big shapes and coats, minute details, and the idiosyncratic work of emerging designers, McKillop stands out in the styling world. Most notably, despite being a beginner, she has cultivated a distinct presence in the fashion world resulting from her ardent absorption of culture, literature, and politics.
She imparts her experiences, wisdom, advice, and creative process below.
Background and Falling into the Fashion World:
Originally from Russia, McKillop recalls her professional journey. As a child, she was interested in art and treasured her mother’s French Vogue magazines. As an adolescent, she studied literature at university, and worked at Zara part time. At the age of twenty, McKillop found herself drawn to window styling, and eventually gravitated towards styling due to its greater scope for creativity.
McKillop’s move to London deepened her involvement in the fashion industry. She studied Visual Merchandising at LCF, acquired an internship at Tank Magazine, and was the assistant to a freelance stylist. In her first shoot, she met photographer Masha Mel, who helped her develop her portfolio and mentored her.
On her Inspiration and Creative Process:
McKillop talks through her creative process, citing clothes as her starting point. A particularly striking shape, color, detail, or theme serves as the springboard for her mind to create and elaborate upon an image. She asserts the importance of ‘going with your gut’, as her first instinctive ideas are usually her most fruitful. With a focus on abstract ideas, McKillop translates such into her shoots and has cultivated a style that is quite recognizable as her own.
McKillop illuminates the importance of personal perspective, telling us, ‘I think its important to understand that it’s different [for each person]. Some people are super creative and some are less, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t create a fashion story that’s interesting and relevant.’
On what drew her to ODDA Magazine:
McKillop recounts her introduction to ODDA Magazine, first introduced by photographer and mentor Masha Mel. She was instantly drawn to the magazine, as it exhibited a shoot featuring Geri Halliwell, of whom she was an avid fan in childhood. She then ‘realized the magazine [was] amazing’, and contacted founder and Editor-in-Chief David Martin in hopes of contributing to the biannual magazine.
McKillop explains that ‘They have this nice balance of an established magazine with an interesting point of view, but they were also super open to new talents which is a rare thing. Because a lot of magazines won’t even reply to you.’
ODDA’s unique point of view and multicultural emphasis make it the perfect home for McKillop and similarly minded creatives. With contributors based around the globe, it boasts a collaborative environment where McKillop tells us that ‘it doesn’t matter where the person is. It doesn’t matter who the person knows or doesn’t know – it’s all about what their work is. If it suits what we’re doing, if it’s interesting – that’s what matters.”
On Styling and Themes:
Rather than having a broader image in mind, McKillop constructs her imagery starting from the inside out allowing for the minute to take the lead. She explains: ‘For me it works best if it’s simple but with details. So I like details, I like a bit of layering. I like shapes, I like textures, I like playing with things like that to create. I think [textures] draw your eye in. You can create strong imagery with it.’
The stronger the shape, the more Yana is drawn to it, reworking it in her own way through layering. She adds to the heterogeneous composition of her images through various textures and accessories.
When asked if her personal and professional styling intersect, McKillop informed me that “in some ways they do sort of meet- I love big structured coats for shoots and I love them for myself. I do like a bit of layering in real life, but obviously for the image [styled] it needs to be that much more elaborate.”
On her biggest style influence: Phoebe Philo’s Celine
She cites Phoebe Philo’s Celine (also now known as ‘Old Celine’) as her biggest style influence – both personally, and in her professional styling pursuits. The synthesis of structured shapes with femininity and timeless textiles captivate McKillop’s intrigue. She views Celine pieces as versatile in styling and everyday wear. She explains:
‘I am a big fan of Celine when Phoebe Philo was working there. I have quite an archive – for me it’s the best thing that’s happened in fashion. Celine is like a thing that I wear and I would also style it in a shoot. That goes back again to my obsession with shapes because Celine’s clothes are about shape and structure, you know? I guess that’s where my work and personal style intervene a little bit.’
Support for Young and Emerging Designers:
Yana is an avid supporter of young and emerging designers, usually drawn to them over more established designers due to their individuality and the strenuous process of making a name for oneself in fashion. She explains, that “it’s so important to support the young designers. It’s so hard for them to get their business going. [Sometimes its] just impossible. Where does a young designer get the money from? I find I’d rather spend something on a young designer than Chanel.”
Yana cites the following designers as some of her ‘current obsessions’:
Commission (New York)
Markoo (Canada)
Charlotte Knowles (London)
Supriya Lele (British/Indian)
Coperni (France)
Advice to Aspiring Stylists:
She explains that fashion and styling are hard work, where one must be prepared for anything and adapt whilst working in a high-pressure environment. She disarms the idea of the glamour and laissez faire attitude, and explains the reality of working in fashion.
She tells us that ‘I find that a lot of people who want to assist or do an internship come to fashion because they think it’s so glamorous. I always try to put across the message that fashion – when you work in the industry and do a styling job is not glamorous. It’s hard work. It’s like long hours and immense stress. You prepare everything and then something on the day can happen. I want people to know that unless you’re really driven to do this there’s not even a point to start.’
Yana still encourages those with passion and innate drive to follow their goals, and to continue to pursue their aspirations with the preparation for a plethora of tasks in mind.
Advice for those wanting to enter the fashion industry:
McKillop hopes to inform readers of its reality and illuminate her own process and experience as a creative mind having experienced her own journey. At times, she was faced with menial tasks and physical labor, all which she agreed to and helped construct her well-rounded perspective and network. Her main advice is that “You need to ask. You need to email people – I know how discouraging it is when you don’t get replies. It happened to me so many times and its still happening”
She stresses the importance of ‘saying yes’ to everything, and learning from every experience.
Advice to her past self:
McKillop emphasizes hard work, diligence, and dedication. Relentlessly pursuing your aspirations if you are passionate and driven, even if the pay off is not immediate. She wishes she could tell her past self that ‘You don’t get paid for editorials at all. You do it for promotion to establish your brand as a stylist, to get connections, to work, to get a network together. That period of time where you have to sit on that low paid position or no-paid position, gets the return.’
Culture and Depth: The importance of Literature, Culture, and Politics in fashion.
Most notably, McKillop stands out due to her involvement with culture and the outside world. Contrary to popular belief, fashion is not a simply defined concept based solely upon aesthetics. McKillop explains the crucial influence of literature, culture, and politics, and how being informed has monumentally influenced her work. She states:
‘I think its important to be aware of things outside of fashion. I find that to be able to say more and to have your own voice you have to be aware of what is going on outside of fashion. You have to be aware of culture and politics. Because fashion reflects everything that happens in society.’
Reflecting back on her own degree in Literature, she explains the importance of an analytical mindset, and extracting a story and meaning from all mediums around her.
She goes on to explain that “But I think it makes you more human .You have your point of view. If you express it, people will have more respect for what you have to say. Be aware of what’s going on. You can’t just be about clothes- we’re drowning in clothes.”
Images provided by Yana McKillop