Style-ish – What it’s Really Like to Work at ‘Vogue Australia’

Podcast: Style-ish by Shameless Media
Episode: Face to Face Mini Series – Gladys Light
Guest: Gladys Light, Head of Brand, Vogue Australia
Host: Madison Sullivan Thorpe
Date: February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Style-ish’s “Face to Face” mini series features an in-depth, candid conversation with Gladys Light, the Head of Brand at Vogue Australia. Madison Sullivan Thorpe sits down with Gladys to unravel the realities behind the glamour of working at Vogue, charting her unconventional career trajectory, exploring her philosophy on fashion journalism, and delving into both the mystique and myths of legacy media.

The episode balances professional insights—on content strategy, storytelling, and audience engagement—with personal reflections and spirited asides, giving listeners a front-row seat to what really goes on inside one of Australia’s most iconic fashion publications.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Gladys Light's Journey: From Art History to Vogue

• Career Meandering and Serendipity

  • Gladys shares how her journey began with dreams of academia and curation, never imagining a future in fashion journalism ([04:32]):

    • “I always had a dream of being an academic or a museum curator and living in the archives… I always think that coming to fashion from a non fashion background... makes the world of fashion so much more interesting and so much more about more than the clothes.”
      — Gladys Light [04:32]

  • A chance encounter with Edwina McCann (Vogue’s Editorial Director), where a talk on business—not fashion—led her to chase an unexpected opening at Vogue ([10:30]):

    • “I went up and I talked to her and I think I was very candid and I said, I am having a bit of an existential crisis about what to do… She said, ‘Have you ever considered working for a title like Vogue?’… She gave me her email, I sent her my resume, I rocked up for an interview a week later and then I interned and then I got a job.”
      — Gladys Light [10:30]

• The Value of Academic Breadth

  • Gladys explains how her arts and law background influenced her analytical, multidisciplinary lens on fashion:
    • “Law taught me a certain kind of rigor to apply to my research… Everything that I write has to have a certain logic… that's what I found really valuable about studying it at uni.”
      — Gladys Light [06:48]

• Philosophy on Meandering Careers

  • “I am a believer in meandering. I don't think that setting yourself... a one way ticket on a train to whatever career you want is necessarily the most interesting way to live life… Shut yourself off to different disciplines, you shut yourself off to different ways of seeing.”
    — Gladys Light [08:48]

The Real Work of Vogue: Brand Building, Legacy & Daily Life

• Brand Custodianship & Evolving a Legacy

  • “It's about how to extend and evolve a brand's legacy to make sure that it keeps up with what modern readers want, what modern women need, and perhaps what they're lacking in other forms of media… Building a brand for a title like Vogue is about walking the tightrope between accessibility and a certain aspirational quality. Because Vogue will always be a little bit mythical.”
    — Gladys Light [13:03]

  • On the responsibility:

    • “There is a certain fragility to a legacy brand… You're constantly asking yourself, is this on brand? Is this where Vogue should be heading? What should Vogue mean to the next generation?”
      — Gladys Light [15:43]

• Storytelling Across Mediums

  • “Storytelling encompasses many, many things beyond words. Words will always be at the core of what I do… but over the course of my few years here at Vogue, I've learned how to produce video... foster commercial partnerships and... build a brand.”
    — Gladys Light [13:03]

Writing, Interviews, and "Pinch Me" Moments

• Career Highlights & Authorship

  • Gladys recounts her first ever cover story with F1 driver Liam Lawson, a piece she crafted with rare, unfiltered access ([17:39]):
    • "Athletes are so fascinating because they are so absolutely pledged to excellence... they can often make the worst interview subjects... [but with Lawson] we got so much time."
      — Gladys Light [17:39]

• The Celebrity Effect & Staying Grounded

  • Discussing the ‘unreal’ aspect of her job:
    • “You have to almost numb yourself… in order to not freak out. The one moment where I have been completely starstruck is probably seeing Zendaya and speaking to Zendaya… she is so beautiful that even if she weren't a celebrity, I would be gobsmacked.”
      — Gladys Light [20:34, 22:45]

Advice and Recommendations

Career Insights & Misconceptions

• Hard Truths About Fashion Media

  • “The biggest misconception is that my job is about fashion at all. I think fashion is the subject, but my job is rooted in business and numbers and data and analytics and psychology above everything else.”
    — Gladys Light [41:10]

  • On the necessity of broad expertise:

    • “Most of the people that I work with did not start in fashion... If you want to step into the fashion industry, be interested in things that aren’t fashion. Being interested in fashion is a prerequisite... What else are you going to bring to the table? Right? Lean into your weirdness, lean into your hobbies. All of that is crucial.”
      — Gladys Light [45:34, 45:49]

• Work-Life Reality

  • “You can give your all and then leave and then the job is done… when you work at a company where people expect you to be first, you have to be first first. And that is an expectation that comes with the job.”
    — Gladys Light [44:48]

Recommendations and Rapid Fire Round

Skincare & Beauty

• Favourite skincare product: Paula's Choice BHA Liquid (“an exfoliant, maybe 20 bucks… I swear by it.” [03:16])
• Desert island beauty: Mecca sunscreen (lotion) ([29:33])

Fashion

• Label to watch: Little Yarn (Australian label based in Byron Bay) ([25:05])
• Current MVP piece: Visturcy longline suede work bag; Fendi baguette scored at a sample sale for $200 ([53:33], [54:25])
• Office style:
  • Unofficial uniform: All black, low-rise jeans, blazers, and the occasional “freaky footwear” (Vibram Five Fingers) ([49:31], [49:25])
  • Favourite jeans: Nudie jeans (“amazing because you can adjust the length of them… I can finally get jeans that I don't need to hem as a 5 foot 3” — [51:13])

Books for Creatives ([27:00])

• Ways of Seeing by John Berger
• Essays by Linda Nochlin (esp. “Great Women Artists”)
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• A Personal Matter by Kenzaburō Ōe

Social Accounts to Follow ([25:38])

• Amy Odell (fashion journalist)
• Louis Pisano (writer and commentator)

Glimpses Inside Vogue: The Real vs. The Myth

Devil Wears Prada – What’s True? ([36:14])

• “When I first started working at Vogue… I was very convinced that the Devil Wears Prada was completely inaccurate… the more that I work in this industry… the more that I realize how horrendously wrong I was and how incredibly accurate the Devil Wears Prada is. It is to a T.”
  • Exaggerations aside, the urgency, the gravitas, and the dichotomy between admiration and absurdity are real.
  • The biggest difference? The film misses the deep, formative friendships and supportive camaraderie among the team:
    “That is not something that is very common in workplaces… but it’s the best part of my job.”
    — Gladys Light [36:14 – 40:48]

Highs, Lows, and Work Perks

• Highs/Pinch Me: Attending and covering New York Fashion Week, sitting front row, interviewing designers in real-time, and being part of the cultural moment ([43:03]).
• Perks: Sample sales, exclusive events, global travel, and access to insider experiences ([54:54]).

Fashion Trends & Predictions for 2026 ([51:50], [53:14])

• The office unofficially wears “all black,” but Gladys champions quirky, functional footwear (currently: Vibram Five Fingers).
• Realistic trend forecasting: “Last year, fashion got very historical… now we’re going all the way back to the 1400s—Juliet veils, bishop sleeves, corsets. This year, I think it'll evolve into something more contemporary and a bit more armored.”
  • “Keep an eye on… big bangles, silver cuffs, chokers, statement jewelry that feels protective and old world.”
    — Gladys Light [51:50]

Personal & Professional Balance ([55:41])

• Gladys maintains a strictly work-focused feed for professional trends, but her personal interests range from Lord of the Rings to Doctor Who, running, boxing, golf, and YouTube deep-dives.
• The importance of consuming broadly and stepping outside the “fashion bubble”: “My personal algorithm is completely different… I want to keep it fresh and new and weird.” ([55:41])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Storytelling encompasses many, many things beyond words... It's about how to extend and evolve a brand's legacy to make sure that it keeps up with what modern readers want.”
  — Gladys Light [13:03]

• “If you want to step into the fashion industry, be interested in things that aren't fashion... What else are you going to bring to the table? Lean into your weirdness, lean into your hobbies. All of that is crucial.”
  — Gladys Light [45:49]

• “Plastic surgery is not feminist. Feminism and cosmetics are very divorced from each other in what the end goal is. One is individual, one is collective. We all have to be okay with that.”
  — Gladys Light [59:21] (on current hot take)

• “Be annoying to get what you want.”
  — Gladys Light [12:23] (on career advice)

Highlighted Timestamps

• Gladys’s accidental path to Vogue – [10:30]
• On the interdisciplinary nature of fashion – [04:32]
• Philosophy on “meandering” careers – [08:48]
• Brand building at legacy publications – [13:03], [15:40]
• Most memorable interview – [17:39]
• Pinch me celebrity moments – [20:34], [22:45]
• Rapid fire recommendations – [25:05], [27:00]
• Office style and favorite denim – [49:25], [51:13]
• Trend predictions – [51:50]
• Devil Wears Prada myths – [36:14]
• Biggest misconceptions about fashion media – [41:10]
• “Hot take” on plastic surgery and feminism – [59:21]

Episode Tone and Final Thoughts

The episode is equal parts warm, witty, and insightful—Gladys Light’s perspective is disarmingly candid and refreshingly analytical, dispelling stereotypes about fashion while confirming the intensity, depth, and cultural relevance of the work behind the Vogue brand. Listeners are encouraged to “lean into their weirdness,” to approach storytelling with empathy, and to see fashion as a lens on wider culture and the human experience.

Whether you're aspiring to work in fashion media, are a die-hard Vogue fan, or simply love a good origin story, this episode offers both sparkling conversation and actionable wisdom.

To summarize: Style, substance, and savvy collide behind the front row at Vogue Australia — and it’s as much about analysis, agility, and people as it is about designer labels. If you’ve ever wondered if the Devil Wears Prada is real (spoiler: yes, but not everything), or what it really takes to build a brand with a legacy, Gladys Light will tell you—and you’ll probably want to take notes.