SAO PAULO (BDCi) — Anyone who has ever watched the film adaptation of the best-seller “The Devil Wears Prada“, knows that working at a Fashion Magazine is not that easy! The daily grind is undefined and there is an uncontrollable race against time. The day before the magazines are finally printed is basically insane! However, unlike the movie’s villain, Miranda Priestly, played by acclaimed actress Meryl Streep, the protagonist of the story is not a little arrogant or presumptuous, instead she is an elegant, friendly and very intelligent woman.
Monica Salgado, Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Glamour Magazine, knows very well how to blend humor and fashion in a unique way, making the magazine a complete success in the entire country! Check out our interview below to find out why Glamour BR is an example of growing success with a little more than a year in the market.
Monica Salgado at her office in Sao Paulo
BDCi News: You have been in this industry for a long time. You’ve worked for Vogue Magazine and now you are the Editor-in-Chief of Glamour Magazine in Brazil. Have you always known you would work with fashion or you just figured it out with time while you were in college?
Monica Salgado: I’ve always known I wanted to write. The words just amaze me! Fashion came out in another moment. I think creating a phrase is like creating a look. You have a thousand possibilities, you try it on and then you get on a final result that shows the message you wished for and have the objective to enchant, draw attention, “touch” people.
BDCi News: How is your routine from the moment you arrive at the office until the time you leave? Do you have a set schedule?
Monica Salgado: I often arrive at 11-11:30 a.m and I don’t have time to get out. I just love not having a routine. I have lunch, cocktails, meetings outside and I also travel a lot for work.
BDCi News: What is the difference among the Brazilian Glamour and the others (French Glamour, British Glamour, American Glamour, Italian Glamour…)?
Monica Salgado: I think we have our own inclination. The French one is beautiful, very stylish but much more serious. The American one has a success story that I greatly admire, but it’s not very focused on fashion. So we built our patchwork here, uniting what each one of them has to offer and adding our own special way of making the magazine.
BDCi News: You are working at Glamour BR for over a year. Was there any magazine cover that really touched you?
Monica Salgado: The cover with the bloggers will go down in history. It is bold and striking. We were highly praised but also criticized. But we provoked communication. People debated the topic. Mission accomplished!
BDCi News: What tip would you give for anyone who wants to get into fashion journalism?
Monica Salgado: There’s no secret: study hard, have a good theoretical foundation, read everything and be a little daring. And really love what you do, of course.
BDCi News: Working in a women’s Magazine that talks about fashion makes you feel obligated to be always following fashion trends?
Monica Salgado: It’s not obligation, it’s passion. I am a little bit of a fashion victim myself, but as you get older you aquire more experiences, I feel less dependent of following these trends.
BDCi News: Are you always in charge of choosing the next cover girl or are there people who help you with ideas?
Monica Salgado: My fashion director, Adriana Bechara, really helps me. But it’s always a debate that involves a board of directors.
BDCi News: Do you think the fashion market in Brazil tends to grow more?
Monica Salgado: We are at a delicate moment for the market. From the point of view of the consumer, who is consuming more (fashion information and products), this potential is endless.
BDCi News: We just can’t deny that Glamour July cover was a complete success! The idea of having non-celebrities and non-models on the cover, letting readers choose among 5 bloggers (Lala Rudge, Thassia Naves, Camila Coelho, Helena Bordon and Camila Coutinho), only 2 to grace the cover had an amazing result: more than 370 thousand votes! Do you think the repercussion of covers like this, letting people vote and choose the cover, makes the reader feel closer to the magazine?
Monica Salgado: This is always the idea. I want Glamour to be close to the people. We reply to readers in social media (something very rare), we picture the readers in the magazine. I just love this connection!
Edited by Janete Weinstein