The Question of Student Publishing

The past five or so months can be summed up by one word - editing. Writing is both a pleasure and a strong point of mine, but this does not mean it comes flawlessly. I was unfortunate not to have been exposed to copious amounts of research and paper writing as an undergraduate, seeking out these opportunities on my own. This has since increased during graduate school, and I'm luckily keeping afloat despite my lack of experience. I have again sought out independent opportunities for getting my research and my words out there, and am fortunately realizing early on that getting published is a long, hard road to traverse.

Publications based on fashion and dress culture are few and far between. The only reason I even know they exist is from working at FIT's library in the periodicals section. Dress, Fashion Theory, Costume and Textile: Journal of Cloth and Culture are the big four, followed by some up-and-coming publications such as Fashion Projects. Fashion Theory especially publishes works by leading fashion historians and theorists, mostly in connection to Dr. Valerie Steele. Although this is hopeful for the future, it is a bit discouraging to know that elements of my work may not be exposed until a much further time in the future.

I wonder if there are any student-based publications out there relating to this field? It seems like every other section of the Social Sciences has a student publication dedicated to nurturing pre-doctoral research, why shouldn't we? I know my fellow FIT students have found some amazing things over the course of their studies, and although their academic merit can be questioned (ie, do we really know anything as a Master's student?), I still believe there should be a collective forum out there for us to test the waters, at least.

So are there any relevant publications? If so, please let me know! If not, how difficult is it to start one? Surely FIT, NYU, Pratt and the CUNY graduate center could collaborate enough to begin such an endeavor.

Here are my thoughts:

-To be published bi-annually, once for each semester.

-Highlight four articles (perhaps a contribution from each school, to begin?) based on original student research. Can be thesis tidbits, class-specific papers, conservation projects, etc.

-Have an "alumni spotlight" where a significant alumnus is showcased, describing their academic contributions and the path they took to achieve their current occupational goals.

-An annotated "book review" section could be helpful, documenting the kinds of things fashion culture students are reading, whether or not they are conducive to our overall field of study, etc.

-And perhaps, most importantly, a resource list at the back of ever publication, listing things like graduate universities, internships, scholarships, societies, etc.

That's all I've been thinking about for now, comments appreciated!