Charlie Porter cut his teeth as an “arts with an s” reporter, at titles including The Daily Express, The Times and Esquire. In 2000, he became deputy fashion editor for The Guardian and following this, an associate editor for GQ and deputy editor for Fantastic Man. A quiet yet perceptible presence at fashion weeks, Charlie’s readers quickly lent him their ears as he documented the industry as menswear critic for the Financial Times. Until October 2018, that is, when—in a manner that may have seemed abrupt to some—he quit fashion.
Charlie has become known in the fashion industry as one of an elite “club” of critics that provide genuine criticism. He has, in the past, been banned from shows—an accolade awarded to those from whom brands take offence. taking an extensive coffee break during a day’s work writing and researching at the British Library in London, Charlie and I talked in depth about criticism; the ethics involved and the love of feeling something for fashion. Continue reading “Charlie Porter talks to Lara Johnson-Wheeler”