Refinery29 is one of the largest American media companies that produces content to entertain and educate young women and not by chance, is one of our favorite websites that we check daily.
Founded in 2005 by Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi and Christene Barberich as a fashion site to share the news of New York City, today Refinery29 has over 450 employees worldwide, offices in Los Angeles, London, and Berlin and has launched the British www.refinery29.uk and German edition www.refinery29.de.
On October 2, the acquisition of Refinery29 by Vice Media was announced for 400 million dollars.
Today we are pleased to present to you the interview with Cloudy Zakrocki Vice President for International Content and Brand Strategy at Refinery29 who tells us how her career in fashion began, how to get a job at a publication, what she is looking for in an ideal candidate and her opinion on gender diversity in the fashion industry.
- Hi Cloudy. We are super happy you found the time to being here with us today, although you have many travels and meetings ahead of you. May you introduce yourself to the Glam Observer readers?
Hey, I am Cloudy Zakrocki, 33 years old and living in Berlin. In my role as Vice President for International Content & Brand Strategy at Refinery29 I not only get to shape Germanys media industry but also get to know so many amazing women out there and travel the world. I am an enthusiast, an optimist, a hustler and I believe love is the answer to a lot of problems.
- Let us dive into the earlier day of your career. How did you get your foot into the fashion industry door and when did you decide you actually wanted to work in this industry?
Although I always was a fan of fashion and working in fashion seemed like a dream when growing up, I never really strategically planned to enter a career in this field – it kind of just happened. While I was studying at the University of Heidelberg I was always looking for a creative and modern creative outlet on the side and my back then boyfriend encouraged me to start my own blog. This was back in the days when blogging was still something super new in Germany, there were only four to five fashion bloggers out there. And so I took all my courage, taught myself how to program and after three days of programming without sleep my own blog was born. This was the early stages, fast forward: I finished my studies, got hired by the then biggest German fashion blog which was already owned by a publishing house and was living the craziest life for nearly three years with working 24/7, publishing articles, taking pictures and traveling the world to the most insane fashion events. On the side, I was starting as a consultant for other publishing houses, fashion, and beauty brands as well as e-commerce platforms. This was really the beginning of it all.
- Nowadays one puts a lot of effort into education, which can obviously be an influencing factor in your later career. What university degree would you recommend, when wanting to work in editorial?
I truly believe that there is no right answer for everyone but I also do truly believe as well that studying teaches you a lot – how to do a proper research, how to dive deep into a topic that you have no clue about in the first place, how to work collaboratively, how to manage your own time, and I could go on with more. As for working in editorial anything with language and storytelling helps. Nowadays there are special studies like Fashion Writing or Digital Writing, but the good old linguistics and literature studies are also great – this is what I studied for example. Anything that teaches you the groundwork of good writing and encourages you to write a lot and find your own style. Another amazing way that a lot of people do not know of weirdly is to study something in the field of your interest and then on top study creative writing or take courses in writing. This way you become an expert in a field and you educate your tone of voice and writing. For example: You could study fashion history or sports or medicine, do extra writing courses on top, and then become a fashion writer or sports writer. For me, education never stops though and I think that one should always be interested in learning more and never stop acquiring more wisdom.
- Your career at Refinery 29 kicked off with your position as Editorial Director there. What does this position require from an individual and what did it teach you for your later steps?
Although my title said Editorial Director I was actually more of a Managing Director and Content Director at the same time. Running a big team and building a business kind of from scratch in a country requires a lot of organisational skills, it is crucial to keep a cool head in stressful situations and speaking of stress, to be able to handle a big stress load in the first years. Jobs like these require a decent amount of experience in the fields, a high empathy towards the team and a vision for the brand.
- How did you get your first job at Refinery29?
I was approached by a head hunter from the US, the second meeting was with the two CEOs Philippe von Borries and Justin Stefano and then there were a few rounds of assignments. All in all the process took approximately a year.
- What would you say to the statement, that the fashion industry still has the reputation of being a female-dominated branch, whilst studies like ‘The Glass Runway” by McKinsey, Glamour and CFDA proof, that fashion is actually still run by men?
This discussion is a classic example of how facts can be approached by different angles and highly depend on how the story is being told. Fact is: If you count all people on this planet working in the fashion industry, the majority will be female. If you look at what actual jobs all those people have you will see that it is men that earn the most of the money and have leadership roles within this industry. Simplified: Men are the millionaires, women are the sewers working for less than minimum wage. And this is why, in fact, the fashion industry is run by men. Period.
- In many articles you pay attention to topics such as female empowerment, sustainability, social media and other topics of a current importance. In how far would you say do these topics go hand in hand with the fashion industry, or better influence it?
Fashion is always a mirror of the society, of the Zeitgeist and current events. Most people don’t see this though as they equate fashion with shopping, but those are two different things. So if you look at the biggest current designers and what is being shown on the runway and if you analyze what you see, you will realize important topics such as climate change or female empowerment are incorporated. If we look at the fashion industry and not fashion itself, it is true though, that the fashion industry is one of the biggest industries where the wage equality between the genders is still very much inexistent and where environmental pollution is massive. This needs to change, now.
- What does a typical day at work look like for you? Do you have some kind of morning routine?
I get this question a lot and although I hate to disappoint people the answer is clearly that there is never a “typical” day at work nor is there a typical week. I do not have a morning routine but I get up at 6 AM each day, if I am traveling sometimes even earlier. My job requires a lot of flexibility, during each day and during each week and even during each quarter of the year. Every day is different, as is every week. In general one can say though a day in my job always involves hundreds of emails, check-ins with my team, tons of meetings and on a monthly basis many, many travels, PR related stuff, conferences and speaking opportunities – and personally it always requires a lot of energy to stay up to date with current events, what is happening with the team but also in society. You can only be good at a job like this if you are willing to go the extra mile, if you are a hustler. And I definitely am.
- You currently work as Vice President, International Content & Brand Strategy, a position with a high international responsibility and value. May you give us a definition of this job position? What do you appreciate most about this position?
In my role, I am responsible for overseeing and creating the content strategy for our new international editions as well as the current French and German ones. Another crucial part is to strategize how Refinery29 as a brand can grow. I am part of the Senior Management Team and report directly into our founders, CEOs and our President International. What I appreciate most about this position is that it is the perfect fusion of my creative side and business side. I am a highly creative person and with my years of experience, I know exactly how to deliver content for different audiences, on different channels, and for different purposes. At the same time, I have a strong strategic mind and deep experience in pulling businesses up. In my leadership role, I like to embed empathy and set up my team for success.
- Internships and practical experience are of a high value in the fashion industry. What do you pay attention to, when looking for an ideal candidate?
I like smart people, people who use their brain, who are not afraid to speak up and utter their opinion, but who at the same time know what respect means and good behavior. For me, the perfect candidate must-have style, but not in a fashion sense, but in the sense of how this person interacts with others. If the CV shows that this person is willing to go the extra mile this also helps. The digital industry, as well as the fashion industry, are very fast-paced and ever-evolving, so for me, one of the biggest key factors within a good candidate is an innate thirst to learn. If you are not willing to constantly educate yourself and learn something new, you are in the wrong industries.
- What would you recommend to those who want to get their first job at an established publication?
Hand in an application that shows you did your homework and research, you must know everything there is to know about the publication, the publishing house, the job you are applying for and the person you are doing the interview with. The application should show that you have invested time, effort and creativity and that you want to work nowhere else than here. As with a lot of things in life: Research and good preparation are key. The more your application stands out and surprises, the better. Also, use every free time to work, to learn, to make contacts – even if it is for little money. This shows true dedication and you yourself will find out if this hard work still brings you joy. If it doesn’t, this industry is nothing for you. In my twenties, I worked six days per week, mostly a minimum of ten hours per day – and still now this is sometimes the case. But for me, this never felt wrong, because I appreciated it so tremendously that I could learn from the best and experience as much as I could. You have to fight for what you want.
Learn the strategies for a successful application, networking techniques and personal branding tips to get a job in fashion. Join now the How to break into the fashion industry online course and learn how to stand out from the competition
Interview by Lilly Meuser Photo Credit Patrycia Lukas
