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For Julia Demer, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23, fashion is more than a passion—it’s a way of life that involves connecting with the world around you. Within the walls of Fordham, Demer is the editor-in-chief of FLASH Magazine, Lincoln Center’s student fashion publication. Outside the campus walls, she interns at high-profile fashion agencies such as KCD Fashion Agency. Wherever she works, she shows that there is more to fashion than meets the eye.
Develop a love for fashion
Although Demer is now heavily involved in the fashion industry, she hasn’t always followed fashion. In fact, her start was in psychology, on a pre-medical path.
“At first I didn’t know how to get into fashion, and I was studying what I didn’t want to study,” she says.
During the outbreak, she realized that her pre-medical future wasn’t what she really wanted and began to experiment more with fashion. She started her own business, DEMER, selling vintage clothes that she dyed. DEMER’s website describes it as “a fashion brand heavily influenced by vintage and rock roll aesthetics. It combines these familiar themes with new and unexpected elements.
At first, this activity was more of a side hustle, but after Demer’s creative brand was published in the magazine “Mob Journal,” her business began to gain more traction and she began to take fashion seriously.
Flash: For all background students
As editor-in-chief of Flash Magazine, a student magazine for all things creative, Demer oversees four distinct sections within its pages: fashion, beauty, opinion and culture. Topics covered by FLASH writers include new clothing collections, beauty products, and commentary on current events or cultural events. Damer Flash encourages all alumni to join the magazine because of its thoughtfulness and openness in highlighting how creativity is connected to our world, not just fashion.
“Just because it’s a student magazine doesn’t mean I want to challenge it. I want to give everyone a chance to do what they want,” Demer said.
Refreshing FLASH
One of the things Demer is best known for in the magazine is his revival. She strives to reinvent the aesthetic and usability of social media and their website to make it more current, contemporary and digital.
“In the past, print issues were more infrequent and less user-friendly, so we’re trying to make it more relevant to how people consume content these days,” she says. “People want to watch videos and see things on their phones, so we’re trying to improve the platform by updating it and changing the aesthetic.”
“Julia is passionate about the topics we cover at FLASH, and her strong leadership is a testament to her passion for fashion and all of its subcategories.” Fashion Editor Brooke Fisher, FCLC ’23
One of the steps Demmer and her team have taken to modernize the magazine is to create and publish more video articles, encouraging subscribers to incorporate the publication into their daily digital lives. She also works on developing additional articles on important topics that encourage students to engage with the cultural world outside of the Fordham bubble.
A recent example is FLASH’s Depop fundraising campaign. Because photo shoots and other aspects of production can be expensive, FLASH has partnered with an online clothing platform to raise funds. This campaign allowed FLASH members to sell their own clothing, such as hoodies, tees, and oversized Acne Studio pants, all by Dimmer herself.
Appreciation of the team
Her team members emphasized the positive changes Demer brought to FLASH.
Isabel Storla, FCLC ’24, FLASH beauty editor and former assistant layout editor at The Observer, said, “She really improved the organization of the magazine and got me more involved in the publication. “She improved communication within the magazine and was involved in providing feedback and assistance at every step of the process.”
Fashion editor Brooke Fisher, FCLC ’23, believes that in addition to Demer’s efforts to improve inter-team communication and organization, her leadership and legacy at FLASH is an inspiration.
“Julia is passionate about the topics we cover at FLASH, and her strong leadership is a testament to her passion for fashion and all its subcategories,” she said. “Julia is paving the way for FLASH with an amazing legacy that I hope will continue after we graduate this spring.”
Bumps in the road
The process of creating a fashion magazine may seem glamorous, but there are bound to be a few bumps along the way.
“One of the biggest obstacles for FLASH is definitely that we’re all students,” Demer said. “We all have full schedules, some of us work, and we still want to have a life.”
Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to get the team together to create a problem. Demer emphasized that the biggest difference between student and non-student sales is midterms and finals. Student publications like FLASH must work around each student’s busy schedule, knowing everyone’s work outside of the magazine.
Juggling FLASH, her internship, 21 credit hours of classes and more fashion-related interests, Demer is no stranger to busy schedules. Despite her other obligations, she says she still makes time to socialize with friends and study for her classes.
Putting the issue together
Another aspect of working on FLASH is creating a problem from start to finish. First, Demer presented his ideas for the theme with creative director Alex Chambers, FCLC ’23.
Each issue has a theme that dictates its social media, digital articles and print issues. Aspects of the past include identity, vice and virtue, and continuity. Once the theme is solidified, she draws up schedules, including team deadlines and meeting dates, and decides whether she needs to bring in a new person to lighten the workload for everyone.
“FLASH is a platform for people who want to do something creative and different.” Julia Demer, Editor-in-Chief of FLASH Magazine, FCLC ’23
Once a schedule is set, Demer works with editors to make pitches, letting writers know what the theme is and how it relates to their piece. From there, writers send in pitches that are ideas for articles or other types of content, and Demer works with editors to approve or workshop these pitches. Once all the pillars are solidified, the writers are given time to create their content; From there, editing is done by section editors and dimers.
Although this process is long and tedious, it goes through a second round to include the visual elements of the problem. For photography and visualization classes, class editors submit concepts for look and feel boards, which Demmer edits and workshops. After that, photographers and models are paired with editors, and the visuals are brought to life.
Benefits of being on FLASH
According to Demmer, many FLASH graduates benefit from the publication when applying for editorial and journalism internships.
“Having your work published is huge,” Demer said. “It’s great to have something that people are reading online, and it sets you apart because everyone is trying to apply for the same thing.”
These benefits are not limited to editorial and journalism. Demer believes that creatives interested in graphic design and art in general can also find success through FLASH.
Demer also emphasized that there are many fashion departments at FLASH, such as makeup, styling and fashion design – all of which she believes are great opportunities for those interested in fashion. When it comes to art, she especially believes that artists of different styles can benefit from FLASH’s myriad themes and illustrations.
“It’s a great way for artists to spread their art,” Demer said. “Especially now that everything is digital, there’s not a lot of real art, so I think it’s a good way to give people who draw, for example, a chance to get published.”
Looking to the future
When he graduates this coming spring, Demer plans to pursue a full-time career in fashion.
“I want to be around fashion because it’s my first love,” she said.
More than anything else, Demer wants to convey the message that “people of any background or background can enter fashion.”
“FLASH is a platform for people who are creative and want to do something different,” she says.
There’s nothing more creative than sharing your passions with the world, and as Demer shows, FLASH is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
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