How fashion designers cope with the cost of living

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Over the past four months, London-based fashion photographer Elena Cremona has worked longer hours for less money than ever before in her 10-year career. Some business clients ask her to provide additional images and self-shot videos for vaccinations, which she prepares and edits herself, she said. Meanwhile, as the cost of living in the UK soars, freelancers are increasingly cutting back on budgets.

“Once I agree to a job, the client can pile on three or four more jobs for me that day,” says Cremona, who regularly works with fashion brands and declined to share her standard price. “I’m tired and I’m not being paid enough. But, I feel more pressure to say yes to jobs because I’m worried I’ll be fired if I don’t say yes. I have to prioritize making ends meet and earning an income, which is becoming increasingly difficult during these times.

Leah Clay Miller, a photographer based between Philadelphia and New York Id, Useless fair And Wall Street Journal, describes similar financial challenges. “There are a lot of bills that I run into as a photographer,” she says, referring to the industry norm that photographers pay up front for studio expenses and equipment rentals — especially on low-budget independent editorial shoots. “It’s hard to keep up when payback times are slow and the cost of living is rising. [finances] balanced”

Vogue business He spoke with several freelancers who shared similar experiences in photography, styling, makeup and filming, economic and professional uncertainty. To break into the industry, creatives are typically expected to finance editorial and personal work to build a portfolio, and well-paying jobs often come after developing a distinct personal style and gaining editorial recognition. It’s a commission process based on the expectation that creative freelancers can invest financially in their own work – burdened by brands and magazines reducing their advertising budgets as client spending decreases.

Jessica Bradbury, founder of Thursday’s Child, a platform that connects underrepresented photographers, filmmakers and digital creators with international brands, says, “The amount of content that customers across the board want for their digital needs and social channels is increasing.” Business projects. Brands are under pressure to regularly release social-first campaigns on platforms like Instagram and TikTok alongside regular traditional media and product launch campaigns – and budgets aren’t necessarily increasing at the same pace. . We have a responsibility as an industry to be proactive, agile and creative and to respond to the changing landscape [and] budget parameters to provide timely solutions,” says Bradbury.