Fiche Magazine was launched in August of 2024 by Editor in Chief Ellen Corcoran. Fiche keeps its finger on the pulse when it comes to Irish Fashion, both at home and abroad. Since its beginnings one year ago, Fiche has released two issues, attended two Dublin Independent Fashion Weeks, and interviewed countless Irish creatives. In this interview, she shared her thoughts on the Irish Fashion industry, the importance of print media, and much more. Fiche is available to read on their website FicheMagazine.com, or in print, which is available to purchase online.
Sarah Kerr: Why did you decide to create Fiche Magazine?
Ellen Corcoran: I’ve been collecting and reading magazines for years and years, but it’s always been Vogue or Marie Claire or Harper’s Bazaar or something like that. I just felt like they were kind of out of touch. It was things that I couldn’t relate to as a teenager living in Ireland. I felt like there was nothing for Irish teenagers to look to for fashion inspiration. There are a few platforms for Irish designers. Everywhere you looked, it was the big names and no designers that you see in Ireland.
S: Where did the name Fiche come from?
E: I just wanted something Irish and something simple, to be honest. There wasn’t any real meaning behind it. I was, for a while, thinking about changing it, and then I was like, no, I’m just going to stick with it now because I wanted to be something Irish, and it can open up a discussion about the Irish language.
S: What do you think the main issues are for an independent Irish or fashion publication like Fiche?
E: Last night at the opening ceremony for Dublin’s Independent Fashion Week, the main topic of conversation was how difficult it is to break into the Irish fashion industry and, once you’re in there, how to sustain that level that you’re at. Obviously, no funding or anything is going into the Irish fashion industry. It’s literally you do it yourself. If you’re seeing that designers aren’t even getting funding, then it’s really difficult. I was talking to a few people from the Dublin Independent Fashion Week committee last night, and they said, “You have to create your own network of people”. In the UK, they have programs that you can go into. They connect you with like-minded people for you. Here, you have to network and find everyone by yourself. It’s definitely a challenge.
S: Do you think that if the Irish Government put more funding and programmes in place, young people would benefit from it?
E: Definitely. I was so overwhelmed with information last night because I didn’t realise and the number of people that I spoke to, they were like, “Yeah, I went to the Arts Council, and they denied funding and said that fashion isn’t a part of the arts in Ireland”. If the government did turn around and say, Look, we do recognise the fashion industry as something that can grow and create jobs and is worth the funding, then it would be so beneficial. It would encourage people to get into the Irish fashion industry in Ireland and stay in Ireland.
S: How important is it for you to release physical copies of your magazine?
E: I think it is quite important to me. I love having a physical magazine and having something to read. When something’s laid out for you, it feels so much easier to understand, and you see it, and you kind of connect with it more. Whereas online, there’s almost like an overload of information. I want people to be engaged with what’s in it, which is Irish fashion and Irish culture and not have it kind of mixed in with everything else. I think if it’s all online, then it kind of gets thrown in there underneath British fashion, French fashion and American fashion.
S: Has your perspective of media and creatives in the Irish fashion space shifted since starting up Fiche?
E: It definitely has changed. When you get to speak to people who’ve been in the industry for a long time and you hear about their stories, like the Dublin Independent Fashion Week Committee, everything comes out of their own pocket. I don’t think a lot of people in Ireland realised that there is a fashion industry here; it’s ignored by the government and the Arts Council. People just think that if you want to get into fashion, they move away, and I thought that before as well. Then I realised that there is a fashion industry in Ireland, there is a lot of talent here, it’s just not getting the recognition it deserves. It’s an exciting time for Irish Fashion. Natalie Coleman was talking last night about how in the nineties British fashion had a revival, and she feels like something like that is going to happen in Ireland soon enough.
S: What advice would you give students who are considering going into either fashion journalism?
E: I would say try to get as much experience as you possibly can because you don’t really know until you put yourself into that space and just give it a go. It seems easier maybe on the outside, and then you realise how much goes into it. Even if it’s small things and writing your own blogs or articles online, it doesn’t have to be anything major. Try to get as much experience as possible before you go out, and you’re kind of just landing in the nine-to-five world.
S: You write extensively on Irish designers. Who is an Irish designer you admire?
E: One of my good friends, Grace Ní Mhealláin. I’m just in awe of her all the time. She shows me all these pictures of things that she’s just made, and I can’t believe that someone is that talented. She’s someone who’s really blending Irish culture into fashion. She does it in a really unique way. I said to her yesterday, I have no idea how you keep coming up with these crazy ideas. Even when we were at the opening ceremony last night and the panel were talking about different parts of Irish history and fashion, I could see Grace taking notes, and I was like Oh my god, she’s gonna come out with like the most insane thing now after this. I could see the cogs turning in her brain.
S: In terms of the future of Fiche, what does it hold?
E: I think the thing with being in like the fashion media is that you have to go with what’s happening in fashion and the designers dictate that and I do want to keep as much of a focus on Irish fashion as possible and it’ll be really interesting to see over the next few years how Irish fashion grows and hopefully Fiche will grow with that. There definitely is a shift and a change happening.
