What is a formal fashion education and how does one get one? Should there be an emphasis on traditional schooling, following the luminary fashion greats to their alma maters, pouring over source materials in extensive libraries? Or is the work route best, first with short-term internships before finessing your way into one of the most coveted and essential positions in productions — the 1st assistant. The short answer is both can’t hurt and British stylist Patrick Mackie praises the significance of both in becoming the well-rounded fashion editor he is today. “No matter what resources you have, education is super important,” he spells out, whether self-taught at home or in the classroom. “Knowing your fashion history and knowing your photography is vital. Research is key to every single shoot that you’ll do.” We spoke to the esteemed fashion editor about his start in magazines, having essential mentors in Edward Enninful and Camilla Nickerson, and how the internet has *finally* opened up fashion to a new generation with fast-paced possibilities.
Where are you originally from and how did you get into your chosen career?
From a very early age, I remember going and buying my first Vogue magazine. The ones that really excited me were the ones that came with the supplements that had all the runway reports. I went to a very traditional English all-boys school on the outskirts of London and I’d sit in school, reading [Vogue] while I should have been probably doing my schoolwork. It was a world that fascinated me and I didn’t really know very much about fashion or how to go about working in it, but I knew I was obsessed.
At age 16, I went into a careers office in my school. I’ll never forget it, they had this rectangular-shaped, purple brochure for the London College of Fashion and I was like, “Wow, what’s this?” London College of Fashion offered a GNVQ [General National Vocational Qualification] diploma in the business of fashion. It was a course with an overview of fashion with everything from PR, buying, publishing, a whole array of things. It was a great starting point for me.
My first work experience was working at Arena Homme + and I continued my education at LCF with a BA honors in Fashion Cultural Studies part time. Once I completed my degree I was offered an opportunity to move to New York. Within a year I went on to work with Camilla Nickerson, who I worked with for seven years. That was amazing and she was very formative in my development as a stylist.
You mentioned both assisting and education were essential to your development. Comparing your formative years in London to transitioning to America, how was the difference between those two markets?
I knew I was in America and I learned straight away that fashion was not only an art but also commerce. The training was vigorous and indispensable. I learned quickly how to structure the work and how everything happened for a reason in the chain of producing a fashion shoot. For example how to coordinate samples with PRs, how to ship, carnet, and travel with multiple trunks to far-off locations. I grew and learned so much from working with Camilla on everything from Vogue through to W. Also to have the privilege to work with her and such talented designers from the late Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld and Fendi, Phoebe at Celine, and Stefano Pilati at YSL to name but a few — I like to think Camilla gave me the tools. The training was so valuable and it set me on the right path.
How easy was it to first start working with those clients on your own and working on solo projects?
When you make that decision to transition from assisting to being a stylist, it can be nerve-wracking. I was very lucky and I can only say how grateful I am to Edward Enninful. For his very first September issue of W in September 2009, he called me into his office and gave me my first big break. That was the start of my working relationship with W and he was extremely influential, in giving me a platform. When Edward became Editor-in-Chief at British Vogue in London, I was honored to be asked to come on board as a contributing editor. Edward would offer advice, support, guidance and really is an incredible talent to work under.
You recently styled the Vogue Arabia July/August cover, how was it shooting Precious Lee with Paola Kudacki?
Precious is precious. To me, to do that story was personally very important. Working with diversity not only in casting but also in the team around me has always been super important. Working with Precious is fantastic; she is strong, radiates confidence and intelligence. When I got the opportunity to do the shoot, I couldn’t be more excited and she works so hard. Just being on set with her was really exciting. I wanted to feel a sense of glamour. I wanted a bit of hair and makeup. There is this sense we’ve all been locked down in sweatpants and I just wanted to see Precious serving in full fashion glamour. Paola really understands women and feeds off their energy which shows in her pictures.
Do you have any muses that always stand out to you?
There are reasons why these girls are so special and they work so hard. I don’t want to pick favorites but there are girls that I’ve worked with that I feel are truly amazing. To name a few, Naomi Campbell and Iman are two great fashion forces and true icons. Mayowa, I just adore her. Vittoria Ceretti, the girl gives me life and will do whatever it is to get that shot. Precious, to work with her just blew my mind. I’ve also been fortunate to work with Kendall, who I think has such a strong head on her shoulders. Gigi has such grace and sense of movement and Gisele has such a love of people and their star signs. Fierce Irina Shayk always makes me laugh and stunning Lara Stone, I count amongst my besties. I’ve been very lucky to work with such incredible women, there is such a strong positive energy in their work ethic.
When it comes to inspiration, where do you look to nowadays?
I love to research. I’ve spent countless hours in the libraries at FIT, Central St Martin’s,
The V&A and Conde Nast. Going into fashion, I didn’t know anything about photography so I really had to teach myself and learn the works of everything from Alfred Stieglitz to [Edward] Weston, Man Ray, Brassai and Beaton, Avedon and Penn, Bob Richardson, and Herb Ritts to Steven Meisel. Really learning about photography and including many art world greats like Nan Goldin, Diane Arbus, Mapplethorpe, and Cindy Sherman to name but a few.
Then I would learn about the designers. I would research everything from the very early Poiret, Lanvin, Balenciaga to Halston, Cardin, Mugler of the 70s and 80s, to what’s going on now, and knowing, following design and research was hugely inspirational for me. I have probably spent half of my career in the library.
When it comes to images, whether it’s the ones you work on or others that you’re ingesting, what things stand out to you or are important to you?
I have a favorite era of Vogue. The period of 1969 to ’76 French Vogue always gets me. The Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton, and Chris von Wangenheim years. I look at that and I just die. I love the glamor. It was pure escapism and seeing these powerfully strong-looking women in these photographs just blew my mind. My aesthetic has always leaned towards powerful, confident, and strong women that I’ve always admired.
Photo by Camilla Akrans. Image courtesy of Exposure NY
What has been your most memorable moment?
One moment that really choked me a little bit was when my work was in the MAD [Musée des Arts Décoratifs] Paris exhibit at the Louvre. It was for the 150th anniversary of Harper’s Bazaar. The exhibit opened just before COVID broke out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the event but people sent me images and videos from the opening night. It gave me goosebumps as they put the cover story that I shot with Camilla Akrans and Zoe Kravitz where she’s running with wolves and had the actual Valentino Couture gown next to the image in the exhibit. They had the pictures I did of Angelina Jolie with Solve [Sundsbo]. There were quite a few cover shoots that I’d done in the exhibit and to see the covers that I did with Zoe, Angelina, and Jennifer Lopez flashing over the Louvre walls on the opening night made me think “That’s pretty epic.”
You talk about a lot of the highs but have there been any lows or challenges that you’ve faced professionally? Is there a work-life balance when you love so passionately your job?
If I talk with my heart, work has been the driving force in me, for sure. I think of people that have raised families and children and things like that, and for me, work has been my child. It sounds crazy to say, but I feel like it’s always been there for me. Any challenges I would say is because the highs are so high, so what do you do when you come down? Sometimes I feel like my career is like people’s bucket list in life. I end up in these insane, wonderful, incredible locations. I could be camelback, looking at the sun rising over the Pyramids of Egypt, shooting on the streets of Tokyo, or going to Giraffe Manor in Kenya and feeding giraffes in the early morning hours. So when you come back home it’s more like, how do I deal when I stop? Breath, stay grounded and be grateful.
Apart from styling, what else are you passionate about?
I have a love for history and I love reading history books. Anything that transports me to another time, I read countless history and biography books. So, that’s a big passion of mine. I say travel, but travel I feel coincides with my job. I also have a love of horses and a deep love of film, everything from the 30s and onwards. International films, like Belle du Jour, Hollywood classics such as Cukor’s The Women, even fashion fav the Eyes of Laura Mars, I could go through the decades to the latest releases.
What’s your favorite part about what you do? Do you like the beginning process of research? Do you like being on set?
It’s the beginning. I get nervous excitement at the beginning. “Oh, what can I do? Where are we going to take this one? How are we going to transform?” Then collaborating with the photographer, brushing out the ideas, and then researching it, that’s where all the magic starts and then seeing how it all unfolds with the help of a strong team of hair, makeup, and nail artists, set designers, and fashion assistants. Everyone works together and supports each other.
What advice would you give to upcoming stylists?
No matter what resources you have, education is super important. You need to educate whether it’s self-educate or assisting. Knowing your fashion history and knowing your photography is vital. Research is key to every single shoot that you’ll do. I think assisting, you learn so many things from handling samples, shoot etiquette, working in different environments, in different countries. It’s almost like if you really wanted to learn your craft, you took on the apprenticeship. That’s what assisting was like for so many of us.
Also, DMs are okay. We are living in a social media world and a lot of people say it’s not a good way to go about it, but how is some kid supposed to track down your email address if they have no resources? A kid in middle America wants to do something in fashion and wants to come to New York — how do they go about it? It’s exciting times now that we’re moving into the digital arena and the transition from print to digital. Content is changing and the mediums are growing. Before when you went on set, you did one shoot. Now, you could shoot multiple things with a video crew set up for BTS, and even digital moving covers as well. I find all of it super exciting, fast-moving, and still challenging. I don’t ever want to stop!
image courtesy of Exposure NY
