A Moment With…10 Magazine's Sophia Neophitou

by The Daily Front Row

Want more tidbits from PFW? Coming right up! We recently caught up with Sophia Neophitou, editor-in-chief and founder of 10 Magazine, that Brit indie fashion and lifestyle glossy, as she took in Elie Saab’s Haute Couture at his cocktail party at The Four Seasons in Paris. We’ve been seeing the much-loved EIC socializing with tout le monde from Milan to Paris. Neophitou updated us on the vibe in London’s fash scene lately, how she snuck into her first fashion show, and how the biz has changed since her days as an assistant.

What’s the vibe like at 10 magazine’s HQ?
We’re an independent publisher, so there’s a level of irreverence. We can sometimes be a bit rebellious! 

How long have you been coming to the shows in Paris?

Oh my gosh, I’ve been coming since I started 20 years ago! It’s changed massively. When I first came, I was an assistant at The Independent.

What was your first show, ever?
The first show I went to was Versace’s safety pin show, where I didn’t actually have a ticket. I had to use my wits to get in. Fashion was very elitist back then. It’s much more inclusive now, with all the bloggers, and the social media element. The whole thing has shifted. 

Is that a good thing?

Well, the sad thing is that people who are less informed are making comments about designers who deserve more consideration than just to be relegated to, “I don’t like it. I wouldn’t wear it, therefore it’s horrible.”

How do Paris, Milan, and New York’s fashion circuits differ from London’s?
London Fashion Week is a place where you have to use your wits to get what you need to actually happen.  Therefore, it breeds such initiative and such intuitive fashion. Some of the most brilliant ideas we see in fashion are there. But I’m obviously incredibly biased. I’m actually on the board of the British Fashion Council!

What’s happening with Brit fashion nowadays?
It’s about creating a much more positive idea of the commerce of London fashion as well as the creativity.  It’s really become a place where people are looking for new designers to invest in, how to commercialize those people, and how to liberate them by giving them the funding to do that instead of having to react to making ends meet. But even in that, necessity is the mother of invention. If you really want to find solutions, they’re there and I think that’s what British Fashion Week is about. It’s that ability to look for that. It’s a bit like foraging or gold mining!

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