CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misspelt the name of FLASH’s fashion editor. As of Oct. 14, 2022, this article has been updated to reflect that the correct spelling of the fashion editor’s name is Brooke Frischer.

For Julia Demer, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23, fashion is more than just an interest — it’s a lifestyle that consists of being interconnected with the world around you. Within the walls of Fordham, Demer is editor-in-chief of FLASH Magazine, Lincoln Center’s student fashion publication. Outside of campus walls, she interns at high-profile fashion agencies, such as KCD Fashion Agency. Wherever she works, she shows there is more to fashion than what meets the eye.

Developing a Love for Fashion

Although Demer is highly immersed in the fashion industry now, she hasn’t always pursued fashion. In fact, her beginnings were in psychology, on the pre-med path.

“In the beginning, I didn’t know how to get started in fashion, and I was studying what I didn’t want to study,” she said.

During the pandemic, she realized that her pre-med future wasn’t what she truly wanted for herself, and she began to experiment more with fashion. She launched her own business, DEMER, where she sold vintage clothes that she had painted on. DEMER’s website states that it is “a fashion brand heavily influenced by vintage and rock n’ roll aesthetics. It blends these familiar themes with new and unexpected elements.”

At first, this undertaking was more of a side hustle, but after Demer’s innovative brand got published in the magazine, “Mob Journal,” her business gained more traction, and she began to take fashion more seriously.

FLASH: For All Students of All Backgrounds

As editor-in-chief of FLASH Magazine, a student magazine for all things creative, Demer oversees the four different sections within its pages: fashion, beauty, opinions and culture. Topics that FLASH writers cover include new clothing collections, beauty products, and opinions on current events or cultural happenings. Demer encourages students of all majors to join the magazine due to its open-mindedness and open-endedness, emphasizing how FLASH is about more than just fashion — it’s about how creativity is interconnected with our world.

“Just because it’s a student magazine doesn’t mean I want to litigate what it is. I want to give everyone the opportunity to do what they’re interested in,” Demer said. 

Revitalizing FLASH

One of the things Demer is best known for within the magazine is its revitalization. She strives to make it more current, timely and digital by revamping the aesthetic and usage of their social media and website.

“In the past, publishing issues was more sporadic and not user-friendly, so we are trying to make it more conducive to how people actually consume content these days,” she said. “People want to watch videos and see things on their phone, so we try to improve by modernizing the platform and changing aesthetics.”

“Julia has such a deep passion for the topics we cover at FLASH, and her strong leadership is a testament to her love for fashion and all the subcategories it encompasses.” Fashion Editor Brooke Frischer, FCLC ’23

One of the steps that Demer and her team have taken toward modernizing the magazine is to create and publish more video articles, encouraging subscribers to incorporate the publication into their daily digital lives. She has also been working on producing more articles on relevant topics that will encourage students to interact with the cultural world outside of their Fordham bubble.

A recent example was FLASH’s Depop fundraising campaign. Because photoshoots and other aspects of production can get pricey, FLASH partnered with the online clothing reselling platform to raise funds. This campaign allowed FLASH members to sell articles of their own clothing, such as hoodies, tees and even a pair of oversized Acne Studios trousers, courtesy of Demer herself.

Appreciation From the Team

The members of her team emphasized the positive changes that Demer has brought to FLASH.

“She has really improved the organization of the magazine and has made me feel more involved with the publication,” Isabelle Storella, FCLC ’24, FLASH beauty editor and former assistant layout editor at The Observer, said. “She has improved communication within the magazine and has been great at providing feedback, as well as being involved in every step of the process with help.”

Fashion Editor Brooke Frischer, FCLC ’23, believes that in addition to Demer’s efforts toward improving interteam communication and organization, her leadership and legacy within FLASH is inspiring.

“Julia has such a deep passion for the topics we cover at FLASH, and her strong leadership is a testament to her love for fashion and all the subcategories it encompasses,” she said. “Julia is paving the path for FLASH to be a truly great fashion magazine with an admirable legacy that I hope will carry on after we graduate this spring.”

Bumps in the Road

The process of creating a fashion magazine may seem glamorous, but a few bumps in the road are bound to arise.  

“One of the biggest obstacles to FLASH has definitely been the fact that we’re all students,” Demer said. “We all have full schedules, some of us work, and we still want to have lives.”

For this reason, getting the team together to create an issue can be difficult at times. Demer emphasized that a big difference between student and non-student outlets is midterm and final season. Student outlets like FLASH have to work around each student’s busy schedule, being cognizant of each individual’s commitments outside of the magazine.

As for Demer, who balances FLASH, her internships, 21 credit hours of classes and extra fashion-related passions, she is no stranger to busy schedules. Despite her other obligations, she said that she still makes time to socialize with friends and study for her classes.

Putting Together an Issue

Another aspect of working on FLASH is creating an issue from start to finish. First, Demer brainstorms with Creative Director Alex Chambers, FCLC ’23, about a theme for the issue.

Each issue has a theme that dictates its social media, digital articles and print issues. Past themes include identity, vice & virtue, and the continuum. After the theme is solidified, she comes up with timelines, including due dates for the team and meeting dates, and decides if any new people need to be brought on to ease the workload for everyone. 

“FLASH is a platform for people who want to do something creative and different.” Julia Demer, FLASH Magazine Editor in Chief, FCLC ’23

After a schedule has been set, Demer then works with the editors to put out pitch calls, which let writers know what the theme is and how it relates to their sections. From there, writers send in pitches, which are ideas for articles or other forms of content, and Demer, along with the editors, either approve these pitches or workshop them. Once all of the pitches have been solidified, the writers are given time to create their content; from there, edits are made by the section editors and Demer.

Although this process is long and tedious, it goes through a second round to incorporate the visual components of the issue. For photoshoots and visual components, section editors send concepts of visuals and moodboards, which Demer then edits and workshops. Afterward, photographers and models are matched to editors, and the visual components are brought to life.

Benefits of Being on FLASH

According to Demer, many FLASH graduates benefit from the publication when applying to editorial and journalism internships.

“Having your work published is really huge,” Demer said. “Having something people can read online is really good, and it sets yourself apart because everyone is trying to apply for the same stuff.”

These benefits are not limited to editorial and journalism. Demer said that she believes that creatives interested in graphic design and art as a whole can find success through FLASH as well.  

Demer also emphasized that there are many fashion components within FLASH, such as makeup, styling and fashion design — all of which she believes are great opportunities for people interested in fashion. As for art, she especially believes that artists of different styles can benefit from FLASH’s myriad of themes and illustrations.

“It’s a really good way for artists to disseminate their artwork,” Demer said. “Especially now that everything is digital, there’s not so much actual art, so I think that it’s a good way to give people who draw, for example, an opportunity to get published”.

Looking to the Future

Upon graduating this upcoming spring, Demer plans to get a job that is fully fashion-adjacent.

“I want to be around fashion because it’s my primary love,” she said.

More than anything, Demer wants to spread the message that “people of any background or major can get into fashion.”

“FLASH is a platform for people who want to do something creative and different,” she said.

There is nothing more creative than sharing your passions with the world, and as Demer has shown, FLASH is an excellent opportunity to do just that.