It was her dream to become a writer and see her name in print and now Glasgow student Maliha Shoaib has been given a chance to break into an industry while pushing boundaries.
The 20-year-old, who attended Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow’s West End, left her mark on judges with her entry for the inaugural Vogue Business Talent Competition.
Following her article in which she asked why luxury beauty brands are slow to make inclusive products, judges thought she was an exciting young talent and her story will be published by Vogue Business. She was named as winner of the competition which was created to give people from underrepresented backgrounds a break in the industry.
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Ms Shoaib, who studies at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London, also earned an internship at the media outlet and one year of mentorship from Lucy Maguire, Vogue Business Trend Editor.
"It is a very exciting time and we are working on the piece I submitted for the award which will be published in Vogue Business," said Ms Shoaib. "The competition really appealed to me and there was also the opportunity for year-long mentoring. I was delighted to win and to see where it might lead."
Ms Maguire said: “We received many applications for the Vogue Business Talent competition from people all over the UK. What made Maliha's piece stand out was her unique take on diversity in the luxury beauty industry, a topic the judges felt was very pertinent. The final result was unanimous among our expert judging panel and we are thrilled to have Maliha as our winner.
“We created the Vogue Business talent competition in order to bring more diverse perspectives to fashion and beauty business journalism. We hope that initiatives like this will help those from underrepresented backgrounds break into this industry and we are thrilled to work with Maliha and the runners up as they progress in their careers."
Former Kelvinside Academy pupil Maliha Shoaib wins competition designed to bring more diverse perspectives into journalism.
The judging panel was a who’s who of fashion and journalism, including Harris Reed, the fashion designer who designed Harry Styles’ latest Vogue cover outfit, Condé Nast global chief diversity and inclusion officer Yashica Olden, TED speaker Sinéad Burke and Phoebe English, a fashion designer who recently exhibited at the V&A.
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Ms Shoaib, who is currently Editor-in-Chief of The SOAS Spirit, SOAS University of London’s student newspaper, realised she wanted to become a journalist while a pupil at Kelvinside Academy, when she heard a speech by fashion editor Helen Broadfoot at her 2018 Prize Giving ceremony where she was awarded the Dux.
Ms Broadfoot was Kelvinside Academy’s first female pupil and is senior fashion editor at NET-A-PORTER and PORTER. Hearing Ms Broadfoot's story inspired Ms Shoaib's already existing interest in writing and journalism, and she’s been working towards a career in fashion journalism ever since.
Former Kelvinside Academy pupil Maliha Shoaib wins competition designed to bring more diverse perspectives into journalism.
Ms Shoaib, who is months away from completing her English and World Philosophies degree, believes there are still issues with access for people of colour to make a career in journalism.
She’s called on the media industry to move towards inclusivity, from hiring practices to the kinds of stories they're covering.
She added: "Studies show that diverse newsrooms outperform their non-diverse competitors because what they publish is more well-rounded. It's important that we think critically about the unconscious biases behind the information we take in. At an industry level this can be done by introducing diversity training programmes for staff, becoming more aware of the blind spots that our privilege allows us, and providing platforms for marginalised voices to be heard."
Dan Wyatt, headmaster at Kelvinside Academy, said: “We knew Maliha would be destined for great things and are over the moon for her. This accolade is incredibly well deserved. She has a unique voice and has always been a very passionate storyteller.
“We’re incredibly proud and look forward to reading her excellent journalism for years to come.”
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