In Conversation with Nassia Matsa: The Writer And Model Shares Her Story

Nassia Matsa is a culture writer, model and also the Social Editorial Coordinator at VOGUE. She is originally from Athens, Greece but has spent the past 11 years in London, where she studied and built her now international career. Her unique mediterranean beauty, impressive educational background and admirable determination have caught the attention of many, us included, which is why we sat down with her to discuss her career, thoughts on the fashion industry and life in a post-Brexit England.

I: You have a very interesting and unique profile. Give me a short introduction to who you are, what you do and how this all came to be.

N: I’m Nassia, I’m a culture and fashion writer and a model. I’m currently working at VOGUE, but for a while I worked as a freelance writer, with my pieces being shared at the Financial Times, Vanity Fair, Wired, Dazed, Sleek and international titles such as Vanity Fair France, Vogue Greece and GQ Mexico. A few years ago I started modelling, so I also do that. It’s not a very usual combination I guess, but nowadays I also think it’s not as surprising as it might have been in a pre-social-media world. Regarding my studies, I did by BA in Media Studies and Journalism at the University of Westminster and then proceeded to get two Master’s degrees: a MA in Publishing from UAL as well as a MSc in Media and Communication Governance from LSE.

I: Talk to me a bit about your career choices. Did you always want to be involved in fashion, either through journalism or modelling?

N: Well my mother used to be a graphic designer, so I grew up being surrounded by magazines, and developed an affection towards them. The house was always full of them and as a kid I would spend hours going through their pages. As a grew into my teenage self and developed my own taste and hobbies, I started buying buying press from different countries, refining my taste. I remember how much I enjoyed the photography, stories, and the way they were combined through the layout. As a student, I was quite mediocre in most subjects, but I was very good at writing so when the time came for me to choose a career, it felt quite natural to go towards writing. And so I packed my bags and went to London. I think it was there that my fascination and love for fashion flourished, mostly because of the city’s scene and environment. And I think it was also the first time I realised how big the industry truly is. When considering what Master’s degree to do, I was in between one on photojournalism and the one I ended up pursuing, in Publishing. I was dabbling with photojournalism a bit at the time, and some of my images had gotten published at The Guardian and British Vogue, so it was definitely a tempting path to follow. But I decided to go with a MA in Journalism instead. After that I decided I wanted to learn the rules of the game better when it comes to media so I went to London School of Economics to pursue another degree and then started working for Wired Magazine. There I was more into the corporate side of things, but quickly I felt comfortable enough to start freelance writing.

Regarding my modelling career, I can definitely say that it started quite unexpectedly. A friend of mine who's a photographer took some pictures of me and I posted one on Facebook. A casting director saw it and reached out to me and I remember that my first shoot was for Noon Magazine. I honestly just told myself I’d give it a try and see where it took me, and from there things just moved so quickly. I think it was partly because I started at the very beginning of the diversity wave, and then just rode it to see where it would take me. I had three jobs at the time, so I had this rule that I wouldn’t call myself a model until I was making a living out of it. It got hectic at times, especially because taking time off work to be at shoots was hard, and I did have to call in sick a couple of times in order to be able to be on set for shoots that felt like big opportunities, but it was worth it.

I: Are you still modelling?

N: Yes, I am. Or at least I'm trying to. Modelling has given me some amazing experiences. The traveling, the make up, the clothes.. and you know, seeing my face on magazine covers and campaigns. Finding availabilities is quite hard nowadays, but I still manage to make time for the projects I really want to be a part of, even if that usually means shooting during weekends or having very long workdays.

I: Do you think modelling feeds off in your career as a writer and vice versa?

N: Yes, for sure. And if I’m being really honest, it’s something I hadn’t predicted when I first started out. It’s very fascinating to think how many of the people I've met through modelling have ended up helping me when it came to writing. Even if it's about connections sometimes, it’s so interesting to see how interconnected our world is. I think this combination also gave me an insider perspective that many lack. And it allowed me to distance myself from the media part when I needed to, and see things from a different angle and vice versa. Made me more grounded, more humble. And the same time more confident in a way, since whenever one thing isn’t working out, you always have the other. It’s almost like a safety net built by two very unstable professions. Both as a model and as a freelancer you get dry spells sometimes, but thankfully they rarely coincided.

I: Did you ever fear that being a model you would be taken less seriously as a journalist or as a professional in a corporate environment? 

N: I have realised that I was quite lucky that I started modelling relatively late in life, after I had established, in a way, myself as a writer and professional. I didn’t feel a big pressure to prove myself or my worth in that sense, or to convince someone that I was more than a model. When I started I already had two Master’s degrees and several internships and job experiences up my sleeve, and I also I never really based my identity around being a model, so I didn’t overthink it at the time. However, as a woman you can always expect to be challenged, or taken less seriously. And people will sometimes look for reasons to underestimate you. So it is a thought that has crossed my mind numerous times.

I: You’ve lived in London for a while now. What does the city mean to you?

N: Well, I have lived my entire adult life here, so London has largely influenced who I am as a person. It’s quite funny because when I'm in Athens I'm the girl who lives in London and when I'm in London I’m the greek girl. But London is my base for now. I I feel understood here, and I have my circle and my job here. So I think despite my identity being heavily influence from my greek heritage and upbringing, London is home for now.

I: And how do you feel about Brexit and its effect on Britain?

N: When talking about multiculturalism, culture and fashion trends I think London has a crucial role in it all. It’s like a hub, and it relies on all the talent that it attracts from other countries to keep it alive. I won’t talk about the UK in general, but I think it is such a huge part of London’s identity, and it is hard to imagine what the city will be like with all these new policies coming into effect. It's not a really pleasant situation to be in at the moment. Especially for those living in the micro-bubble of the creative world, with all its fluidity and diversity. You can tell that something’s in the air.

I: Would you say that being Greek or at least having grown up in Greece has influenced the way you approach things or given you a unique point of view?

N: Most definitely. I think something I have always attributed to being Greek is my tendency to see everything through a political lens, which we really do as a nation. And I consider myself lucky to have that. It was a bit of like a cultural shock for me to hear people in London say they were not interested in politics.

I: Would you say it also made you see fashion through a more political lens?

N: Yes. 100%. As a culture writer I think I inherently had a political view of it, since you can't have culture without politics and you can't let politics without culture. But I do think that my upbringing also had a lot to do with it, which I’m thankful for. The ability to understand the political influence of fashion, both as an industry, and as a medium for artistic expression has been crucial to my work.

I: What would you say are the most relevant issues that the industry is facing right now?

N: Well the diversity matter is one for sure. Diversity in terms of age, abilities, health, size, gender. And obviously the other one would be sustainability. I think because of the nature of these two issues, with one being far more complex than the other, the diversity matter has been tackled with a more immediate response. There is still a lot to be done, but progress has been made, and continues to be made. The sustainability movement will naturally take a bit longer, since it often requires a complete business model makeover. I think the change in people’s mindset is visible, and especially our generation is very vocal about what they want. We are certainly more prone to make more conscious choices, to repair things and to be openminded when it comes to matters such as second hand clothing. I guess all we can do is wait and see how things will play out, but it is very important to see this matter be the centre of attention.

I: Certainly. Our generation is also a lot more open in regards to alternative economic models, I think. Sustainability has become such a buzzword though, it feels like you constantly hear about it but rarely see action being taken. What are your thoughts on sustainability in terms of print publications?

N: I recently noticed that The Guardian is using biodegradable plastic, which was a very pleasant surprise. I do think that our attitude towards magazines has changed as well, since many of them are now more like books. The rise of annual or biannual independent publications that are crafted with timelessness in mind. Also the January issue of Vogue Italy was a fantastic step forward. Although it was only one issue, it demonstrated that there are always new, creative ways to approach problems.

I: Lastly, I know that London Fashion Week finished a few days ago and you attended shows. What a show or collection that stood out for you this season?

N: I think I would have to say Dilara Findikoglu. She is young, fresh and has a very bold personality that I think translates to her designs a lot. Her designs are also quite edgy and extravagant which I personally adore.

Find Nassia on Instagram and find a collection of her works here