From the Dominican Republic to Miami to Raleigh, Jannely Espinal has big plans for Fashion

We sat down with Academy of Art University’s School of Fashion student and intern Jannely Espinal as she completes her final year in the school’s Fashion Journalism Masters program.

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Miami, Florida, Jannely Espinal is taking it all in during her last year as a graduate student in the Fashion Journalism program with the Academy of Art University. With an article already published on the Fashion School Daily, the ambitious blogger and writer remembers how far she has gotten since her childhood. See how the Academy made her life and dreams of becoming a fashion journalist come full circle.

FSD: What inspired you to get into fashion journalism?

Jannely Espinal: I’ve been reading magazines since I was five years old. I remember buying my first magazine at a pharmacy in the Dominican Republic; it was called TÚ magazine. When I was a teenager, I would run home after school to go to the computer and read blogs. There was this one blog from a feminine product called nosotrasonline.com, and they had a lot of articles for teenagers, and I found it so interesting how they were able to talk about different topics which inspired me as well.

FSD: How did you get the idea to start your blog?

JE: I had just gone through a breakup, and I was recommended to find a passion, something that I really enjoy doing and that’s when I found styling and writing. I started my blog, The Fashion Buffet about four years ago. If I hadn’t been told to find something that I enjoy doing, who knows what I would be doing today. I’ve always been inspired to write about fashion and write about trends and style. I was just so passionate to share with everyone about new boutiques or emerging designers, so I started the blog.

FSD: So when you saw the program at the Academy, it must have been a no-brainer?

JE: I cried. I literally cried because I finally found a place in the world where there were offering a dream to people. There’s traditional journalism, but I don’t like writing about politics or anything of those sorts, but when I saw the program, I was so happy and so inspired because as they said in Gossip Girl, fashion is history, culture, and arts all combined.

FSD: What do you love about the fashion journalism program at the Academy?

JE: I like that the professors push your philosophical skills, and push your creative thinking to think in a philosophical way. It is like when the Director of Fashion Journalism & Social Media Center, Stephan Rabimov says “this is your time to shine,” he wants us to push ourselves and create new ideas, new topics that are not out there yet.

FSD: What was the project that you had the most fun doing?

JE: Oh yes! It was the final project for Fashion Styling; it was so amazing! I wanted to ultimately show the final product on my blog and my portfolio, so I put a lot of effort into it. I used a professional photographer who was my friend, a professional model who was my friend, makeup and hair stylist who I had worked with in the past and the owner of a boutique in Miami who I had a great relationship with lent me the clothes. It was all about collaboration, and without any of them, I wouldn’t have made it; they helped give this project a real editorial look. The professor gave me some great feedback about things that I didn’t know when it came to styling, and she told me it was one of the best editorial projects she has seen at the Academy. I loved it.

FSD: You are currently in the fashion journalism internship with Fashion School Daily, what has your experience been so far?

JE: So far so good. One of my articles was actually published, which was really motivating to me, it showed me that it was good, my headline was good. I also like the process of having someone accept your idea and you following through and getting it out there.

FSD: What are your career aspirations after graduating?

JE: Is it bad to say that I want to take Anna Wintour’s job? I actually want to be the Editor-In-Chief of a publication. Right now I’m contributing to Rare Luxury Magazine, and my editor is going to send me the print version, and it’s so exciting, I never had my work printed.

FSD: If you had a younger person come up to you and tell you “I want to go into journalism,” what key points would you tell them in order to be successful in the industry?

JE: Funny that you mention that, someone actually just sent me a message on Instagram asking for advice. It was a girl that was about 15 years old, she was so sweet, she said “I just want to write, I just want to be a writer and a journalist,” and I didn’t know what to respond to her, this was the first time anyone had approached me in admiration from what I do. I did tell her she needs to write a lot and read a lot. The only way you become a good writer is by reading other people’s work. The only way you can become a great journalist is by reading and getting to know about the news, the world, art, having a complete understanding of different topics.

Make sure to keep an eye out for more of Jannely’s articles on her blog, The Fashion Buffet and on the Academy of Art University’s Fashion School Daily.