As the editor of FLARE’s fashion news pages, 25-year-old Mosha Lundstrom Halbert has been everywhere from London Fashion Week to shopping centres in Calgary’s suburbs. Here’s how the U of T Art History and French Cultural Studies grad made it to where she is now…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
I edit FLARE’s fashion news pages, write designer and style profiles and search for compelling Canadian women to feature in She’s Got FLARE. My job has taken me everywhere from London Fashion Week to a shopping centre in Calgary’s suburbs and even the Italian countryside to visit Brunello Cucinelli’s cashmere mill. The variety keeps it interesting.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
I was very focused on drama from a young age, perhaps a form of rebellion from the family business. I didn’t realize till I began writing for U of T’s The Varsity that this was what I was meant to do. But after internships at ELLE Canada (thanks Noreen) and Fashion Television (thanks Jeanne and Jay), there was no turning back. I’m the third generation on both sides to wind up working in the industry. Pretty sure my sister will follow suit. Apparently our fate was sealed long ago.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
I am a people person so give me a cup of tea, an interesting fashion character (Haider Ackermann comes to mind) and a fully-charged recorder and I’m very content. I have such respect for a designer’s craft and love hearing about it from their perspective.
Of course, the challenge is bringing a three-dimensional person and their work to life on the page.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I’m a lofty dreamer, but also highly superstitious, so you’ll have to just wait and see…
What does success look like to you?
Providing for yourself by doing something you restlessly love. Continually seeking growth. I also joke that I’ll know I’ve ‘made it’ once I have a driver. I do my best work from the back seat of a car!
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Definitely going to Chanel’s couture show in Tokyo this March. I was the only Canadian journalist in attendance and got to speak with Karl Lagerfeld about his work.
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
A positive attitude and resourcefulness will get you far. Resist sycophancy. Manners are underrated and a great point of differentiation in an increasingly rude world.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Paws for the Cause pulls on my puppy heartstrings. Supporting Design Points North, which works on cultural initiatives in Attawapiskat; The Moorelands, who coordinate holiday hampers for low-income families and Dare to Wear Love’s annual show to benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation for AIDS relief in Africa are also very important to me.
What to you is notable?
Let me check my notebook. Let’s see…I have Thomas Tait jotted down. He’s a brilliant Canadian designer and the youngest graduate ever of London’s Central Saint Martins’ MFA program. I’m drawn to go-getters who work tirelessly.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iEverything. The iPad and iPhone are essentials tools.
Photo courtesy You Just Got Spotted by Michelle and Gabby Jun