The debut article of the month by Bronte Mitchell
As a fashion and lifestyle Editor-in-Chief, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the evolution of style through unique looking glasses. From front row seats to sparkling events and internet crazes, I’ve seen trends rise and fall and the boundaries of fashion pushed. I’ve shared knowledge, intuition and perspectives on collections championing sustainability, and been present at some of the most spectacular shows by labels paving the way for change in the fashion world. Style to me transcends its visual form, whilst some of us may see it as just material on a clothes rail, to me it’s always been a powerful mode of self-expression – I’m sure I won’t be alone when I say how much more confident I feel when I put my high heels, tailored waistcoat and lipstick on.
Something I’ve also grown to adore about this industry is it homes some of the most innovative and passionate individuals and teams. Every day I meet like-minded people who are eager to push boundaries and shape the future of British style, and so when the lovely Beth Stringer invited me to publish a monthly editorial with Country Lookbook the instant answer was ‘of course… yes!’ I remember our first phone call so vividly; Beth was explaining her plan for Country Lookbook and in less than five minutes I was hooked. Her enthusiasm for the business echoed loudly as she described how she wanted to make a footprint on the style world, and in that moment, she reminded me of my younger self when I sparked the idea for Femme Country Magazine.
So, without further or do, I’m delighted to welcome you all to my debut Editorial hosted by Country Lookbook. In this monthly column I’ll be delving into the latest trends, both in contemporary and country style, taking you with me on some ‘days-in-the-life’ as a business owner in fashion, sharing advice on styling options, and revealing my favourite looks featured on Instagram from the month. However, I wanted to use my first Editorial piece as a way to say ‘hello,’ both to those who know of me and to those just being acquainted – and so I’ve focused my debut article on introducing myself to you and sharing a little about my journey to sitting head of the boardroom as the Editor-in-Chief of a magazine.
My name is Brontë Clare Mitchell and I’m the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the luxury country, fashion and lifestyle publication and Media Brand, ‘Femme Country Magazine.’ Launching our first issue in 2019, I became fixated on the lack of female publicity surrounding the various sectors of the country industry. From farmers to agronomists to businesses, the press world naturally seemed to observe this sector from a male perspective often without regard to the women in the same roles. Change needed to occur, and I made sure that I was the catalyst by creating a publication where women could look through the pages and see themselves. The publication is in its sixth year of life and has, since birth, become much more than just print on pages. Not only do we host multiple launch events across the year, but we exhibit at some of the top rural shows across the UK and work with renowned brands managing annual fashion shows inside the country sector. I’ll admit that my life has been truly insane since the first issue hit newsstands, but what many of you might not know is that the road to where I am now certainly took me on some twists, bends and the occasional dip too.
As a little girl all I would think about was books and writing, in fact I was pretty much a geek when it came to literature. From undertaking reading challenges set by my local library to examining novels and preparing essays about them, outside of school time, it’s fair to say that I was consumed by the power of print. I was even the only girl to take both English Literature and Language (with a side of History of Art) for A-Levels in my year group. However, when my hands weren’t flicking through pages, they were filtering through my wardrobe trying to answer what in my opinion was one of the most important questions of the day, ‘What shall I wear today?’
Obsessed with the patterns, texture and history of clothing, I found myself wanting to transform the narrative of my style every day. On completing my GCSE years, I remember being so excited to move into Sixth Form, not because it was the start of a new term, but more simply because we were allowed to choose our own outfits. Saying goodbye to the tweed skirts at school, which unknown to me at the time we’re actually quite stylish, allowed me to experiment with fashion and dress for my inner self. It was during this time that I decided to partner my two loves, writing and style, and endeavour to become a fashion journalist.
In the run up to leaving school, I worked incredibly hard to achieve this goal securing internships at multiple companies including ‘Hearst Publications’ where I worked for ‘House Beautiful’ and ‘Country Living’ and even attaining a place on a Summer Course with the one and only Condè Nast, who own Vogue! As a result, I ended up holding a CV which hosted a wealth of connections featuring some of the top names inside the British fashion world.
Following my crazy Summer of internships and work experience, I received invitations to study at some of the UK’s leading art and fashion universities. With my ‘Devil Wears Prada’ head on, I had the biggest smile on my face accepting the offer to study at UAL: London College of Fashion where previous Alumni included Jimmy Choo, Jonathon Anderson, Peggy Gou and William Tempest. Unfortunately, my London story became very short lived and after three months of living in the capital I began to feel lost amidst the hustle and bustle of my new surroundings, and whilst I adored attending my lectures at UAL, I found myself getting very emotional and anxious about the prospect of this being in this situation for another four years.
After endless midnight phone calls to my family, often featuring many tears, I made the decision to return to Yorkshire and start the journey to applying for another University at home in York. Looking back, it was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. It was incredibly difficult to put a stop to a journey that I had only ever dreamt of and worked so hard to achieve.
In the time between leaving London and securing a new University place in York, there were many thoughts circling around my head. ‘What if I run out of time to secure a place?’ ‘What if I they don’t have any places left on the course?’ ‘What if it’s too late?’ Thinking ahead, with the possibility that I might be taking a gap year unexpectedly, I needed a plan whereby I could fill that year appropriately, as of course a gap year was not in my original timeline. And so, I reverted to a magazine project I had created for my Extended Project Qualification back in 2017 whilst I was in Sixth form. I developed the name, designed new branding and made it a portfolio project … today this is now ‘Femme Country Magazine.’ After releasing the first Spring Issue in 2019 on social media (with no intention of selling it!) I had so many messages from people interested in purchasing the magazine, asking where it was sold and how they could their hands on one. As something I created solely for myself, saying I was shocked at the time would have been an understatement.
Flash forward seven years and I find myself working inside the industry I like to call a kaleidoscope, because every movement reveals a change with fashion reinventing itself and taking new forms. Amidst my love for contemporary and city style, which I developed whilst living in London, I held an upmost devotion for the rural vogue look and the desirable soft luxury lifestyle. When founding Femme Country Magazine this was one of the main aesthetics I wanted the publication to take as its association to countryside living, rural pursuits and agriculture cemented in strongly. As a lady who has lived and breathed the countryside air all of her life, it was so important to me that that the magazine supported the array of businesses and individuals leaving their inspirational footprint on our lands.
It’s with my monthly Editorial with Country Lookbook that I intend to motion this ethos further by guiding you through upcoming trends in rural style, sharing stories which spotlight the synergy between fashion and the countryside, and give you an exclusive VIP looking glass through to content from our HQ at Femme Country Magazine. I’m so incredibly excited for this partnership and to have you all along for the ride just makes me even more determined to deliver quality content that you look forward to reading, or catching up on, every month. If you’re like me, you might have a set time and place that you’ll want to this read – my safe space usually involves wine and the bath! Thank you so much for hosting me Country Lookbook, how soon can we fast forward to September for the next one…
