Why You Shouldn’t Put Off Changing Your Career.

Deputy Digital Editor at Red Magazine, Sarah Ilston, explains how she walked away from a career in Fashion Design to become a Digital Editor.

Sarah Ilston, Deputy Digital Editor at Red Magazine UK, began her career a little differently to some of her colleagues and peers. From studying Fashion Design at The Manchester Metropolitan University, followed by a career designing womenswear for well-known fast fashion retailers in London, Sarah was originally set to climb the ranks of the fashion design world.

But she soon learned that life sometimes pulls us in unexpected directions. Not feeling overjoyed with her career choice, Sarah decided to follow her heart - making a life-changing decision to walk away from the industry to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist & editor. 

We caught up with Sarah to delve deeper into her story and find out how she made this difficult transition…

Hi Sarah! How is life treating you during this unprecedented time we find ourselves in?

Life is treating me ok actually. Work has been keeping me busy and luckily I haven’t been furloughed like a lot of my friends in other industries. This is probably the ideal job to have during this time as I can continue with it remotely and tailor the articles to what people want to read currently. Traffic for the website has been amazing because everyone has been at home. A lot of people come to us instead of looking at news sites because they know it’ll be more uplifting content.

You studied Fashion Design at University, did you always want to be a Designer from an early age?

No I didn’t actually, I was a huge bookworm when I was younger - and now I’m a writer, how funny.

I was creative from a young age, and studied textiles for my A-Levels which I really enjoyed. After that I ended up on an art foundation course where I did photography, fine art, fashion design and ceramics. To be honest that wasn’t really a conscious choice, it was what my friends at the time also happened to be doing.

After the foundation course I really wanted to do a fashion marketing program, but I didn’t get accepted. So I ended up getting into a Fashion Design and Technology course in Manchester. 

I genuinely enjoyed it. Despite working hard, I still didn’t get a high grade. In hindsight I would have probably chosen to do English or History instead. I think it’s very stupid having to make these huge decisions that will impact the rest of your life during your teenage years when all you really care about at the time is alcohol and boys!

You designed for well-known retailers including River Island and Debenhams, what were some personal highlights and low points from your career?

I got to meet some really interesting people, and I enjoyed learning different aspects of the business. It was great observing all the different roles like print design, and everyone involved with how a garment is put together. A huge highlight was when I was offered the job at River Island. For me they were the coolest brand at that age. It was a fun social scene to be in at the age of 21.

On the downside, it was probably the most cut throat culture I have ever come across in my life. At River Island I was completely disposable and on a 3 month rolling contract which my design manager often liked to remind me. I was treated really badly and felt like I was being gaslighted by my boss. She would encourage me to show my emotions at work to help build a personal relationship with her. Then when I did show my emotions she would use it against me. It was the most unsafe I’ve ever felt in my career. I was 21 and at that age you don’t know how to look after yourself in those situations. 

“A lot of friends questioned what I was doing and thought I should stay where I was. But I had to go with my gut that it was time.”

At what point in your career as a Fashion Designer did you decide to walk away from the fashion industry and start over? Did anything in particular trigger this decision for you?

I remember very clearly when I was at Debenhams, there was one day where I was pulling my hair out over zip lengths, trims and buttonholes. Even though I loved fashion, I was thinking ‘there has to be something more’. That side of the business just didn’t excite me. 

My maternity contract came to an end with Debenhams and I ended up working for a supplier in Oxford Circus, London. It felt a bit like I was in a factory, working in a dingy office with about 5 people churning out a wealth of designs. It did not mesh well with me which cemented my decision - that was the last straw. I quit after a week! I went to Melbourne Australia for a couple of weeks to take a break and figure out what I wanted to do.

Changing careers can seem a little daunting to some, were you nervous at the time and did you ever doubt your decision?

It was a really hard decision because it was all I ever knew, but I was so unhappy and figured I was young enough to start again. I was very lucky I had supportive parents that encouraged me to do it. A lot of friends questioned what I was doing and thought I should stay where I was. But I had to go with my gut that it was time. I was confident it was the right decision.

I came back from Australia and did a short course in Fashion Journalism at Central Saint Martins to give me an indication if that was something I wanted to pursue. I then began to look for Fashion magazine internships.

The biggest worry for many when toying with the idea of changing careers is income and how long they can potentially survive without it during the interim. How were you able to still stay afloat during this transition in your career? 

I was without an income for around 8 months. The only way I was able to survive was because my parents helped me. They paid for my rent, and I didn’t have many other outgoings at the time. I had also managed to save a little bit from my small salary in my previous role as a design assistant.

A few friends made snide comments about it at the time, but I knew I was on the right path and it was what I needed to do.

Luckily it all worked out, but there were definitely a few moments where I didn’t have any money and felt really guilty taking it from my parents. I was 25 years old, and I appreciated their help in setting me on a different career path.

“Vogue was great and a lot more organized than what I experienced at my previous internship. It was very clean and clinical,  I felt like I was in the movie ‘The Devil Wears Prada.“

You began interning for some huge names in the magazine world including Vogue and Marie Claire, how did those opportunities come about?

My first internship was at a well-known fashion weekly magazine. I started as a fashion cupboard intern. We used to sit in cupboards with no light, surrounded by unreturned clothes and coat-hangers with very angry people from PR on the phone demanding to know the location of lost garments .

I then did 3 weeks interning at Vogue and a month at Elle after being recommended by a colleague. Word of mouth is invaluable since the Fashion magazine industry is very small. Everyone knows everyone. Both internships were over quickly, but I got to go on some amazing shoots. Vogue was great, and a lot more organized than what I experienced at my previous internship. It was very clean and clinical - I felt like I was in the movie ‘The Devil Wears Prada’.

I was at Marie Claire for 3 months while the Fashion shows were taking place, and it was paid! I did a great job and was asked to come back every season. That was my regular income for about 4 seasons. They eventually gave me the opportunity to write an article. I wrote several more for them after I was getting a great reception to the pieces I had already done. It confirmed this is what I should be doing.

After interning on the features desk at Marie Claire, I decided to reapply to the intern program at one of the more well-known magazines I’d been at. Having previously completed a 3 week stint there, I thought being on the writing desk would give me invaluable experience in my next step towards fashion journalism. What I didn’t realize was that it would be the exact same situation of answering phones and returning garments. There was nothing for me to gain by spending 3 weeks repeating my experience.

By this point I was 26, I had interned (and paid my dues) for 8 months and done 3 rounds of freelance work for Marie Claire. I decided to be honest, and cut my losses at the magazine. I was confident I was making the mature decision, believing honesty and politeness was often the best policy. But the Managing Editor at the time did not agree. She was furious with me for ‘ruining’ her seamless intern program. 

I assured her I would finish the week out to give them time to call the next intern in ( I would never leave someone in the lurch), but then I wouldn’t be coming back. Although begrudgingly agreeing with me in principle, she seemed intent on shouting at me loudly in her office, before banishing me from the building. 

I left in floods of tears, called my Dad and sat sobbing on the side of the road, convinced my magazine career was all but over - a stranger even donated an entire pack of tissues to me upon seeing my level of distress. A few months later (my magazine career, funnily enough, not ruined) I started my new job at Conde Nast Traveller as their Fashion and Features intern, which was situated in the same building as that ill-fated internship. I was terrified to run into my old boss, until one day I did, in the tiny lift, and she didn’t even recognize me. I was just another faceless intern to her.

By this point all my family used to make jokes about how I never had a permanent job, to which my response was always ‘oh yes it’s hilarious…’.

How did it feel when you landed your first official job in writing?

Finally my big break came when I was offered a full time paid position at FarFetch. However on that same day, after accepting the job, I had a call from Red magazine to go for a coffee meeting regarding a position as fashion and beauty junior digital writer. I was in a huge dilemma as I knew the job at Red was what I really wanted. I turned down the FarFetch position, and basically pleaded with the woman interviewing me at Red that all I wanted to do was to write fashion and beauty content for them. I had a second interview where I had to do a presentation in front of all the big wigs. I was offered the job! The job of my dreams! And I’m still here now.

You are currently the 'Deputy Digital Editor' for Red Magazine UK, tell us a little more about your role..

I write about EVERYTHING. I write about fashion, which comes naturally to me since that’s my background. But I also love to write about travel - which technically I can’t do right now because no one is traveling.

Last year I went to Costa Rica and Botswana and did a safari. I got to go skiing, the Caribbean and Vietnam too. It’s great to have these opportunities that I might not have had without my job. They’re definitely a huge perk.   

During lockdown I started doing celebrity interview content. I actually just interviewed one of the actors from the Netflix show Hollywood - Michelle Krusiec who plays Anna May Wong. I’ve also been doing entertainment round ups which has been fun. Beauty, especially skincare, is also part of Red Magazine’s DNA. I get sent mountains of beauty products to test and review.

We cover health & wellness, especially mental health, and also focus a lot on women's careers, aiming at the working mother . Red magazine is the perfect balance of escapism and realism. 

The downside is that a journalist’s salary is NOT the same as a corporate salary. When you eventually land a role at the top you are compensated more, but it takes a long time to get there which is often discouraging. For me, the hardest part is that because I started later in my career, a lot of my peers at the same level as me are in their 20s. But I’m in my 30s, surrounded by friends who are getting mortgages which makes me feel a little behind.

Looking back, did the risk pay off in the end? Any regrets?

I think the risk definitely did pay off. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. I have no doubt in my mind that writing is what I am supposed to be doing. It flows so easily through me. 

If I had known what I wanted to do earlier I would have studied English at University and taken a Journalism course. I was also lucky my career took off when it did, it could have taken a lot longer or not happened at all.

What advice do you have for anyone contemplating making a drastic career change as you did?

I would say if you’re having any doubts that what you’re doing isn’t right for you, then do it sooner rather than later because my big regret was not doing it sooner. You’re probably going to do it eventually so you need to overcome the fear and go with your gut. 

But DON’T quit your job as dramatically as I did. Build up some savings so you give yourself a cushion, otherwise you may end up taking the wrong career path again out of panic.

Thank you Sarah! 

You can check out Sarah's articles HERE

By Emma Golley