Fashion's front rows are often occupied by serious style arbiters who rarely smile and frequently – especially these days – have boredom written all over their faces. That's why it's always especially heartening when Joe Zee is in the house. He's the friendly one: a Canadian kindred spirit whose unwavering passion for the style arena drove the Hong Kong-born, Toronto-raised tastemaker to New York at the age of 22 to pursue his fashion dreams. He enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked hard to become one of the most influential multimedia fashion editors in America. A protégé of legendary fashion editor Polly Mellen, Zee started at Allure magazine before moving on to become fashion editor of the prestigious W Magazine. But he really worked his mass-market appeal when he jumped ship to become the creative director of Elle magazine. Zee's love affair with social media led him to embrace the digital world wholeheartedly and, last year, he was hired to head up Yahoo Style. Along the way he also hosted All on the Line, a TV series aimed at helping struggling designers. The 46-year-old Zee was in Toronto recently to host the CAFAs, the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards, now in their second year (I had the pleasure of presenting him with a Vanguard Award for his contributions to fashion). Before that, I spoke with him about the industry's inherent struggles, the promise of the digital age and the importance of having your own point of view.
How does it feel to be feted in your old homeland?
I think that I got more patriotic after moving away from Canada. It's interesting to be able to come back and inspire people to do things and realize all their dreams and then be recognized for it. It's nice to know that people back home are watching and paying attention and respecting the things that you do and acknowledging that.
Do you think enough inroads are being made into exposing some of the talent we have here at home?
The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards are a great first step. I know this was just year two and it takes a while for something like this to become really lasting, but this could be the start of something. When I started working in the industry and moved to New York to do fashion in 1990, it really was all about being in New York, Paris and Milan. Even London was a struggling city back then in terms of getting international global coverage. But now the digital age has completely changed the game. It has made fashion much more global. It used to just exist in a bubble. But today, everything can exist around the world really quickly.
You're one of the few people in the business who has worked in the trenches of all the different media platforms. What gives you the most satisfaction?
I think I was always made for this digital age because it allows me to have real-time conversations. I've embraced social media from day one. But I love television, too. It allows you to tell a broader story. I'm really a storyteller in a way. I tell stories online, I tell stories on the page and I tell stories on TV. All of those media platforms allow you to tell stories in very different ways.
With such a sea of sameness on the fashion scene today, how to you manage to wade through it and still continue to keep yourself excited?
I agree with you that there is a lot of sameness sometimes. But I still broach it with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. One of my earlier mentors, Polly Mellen, who I started working with in 1991, was tireless when it came to championing new designers. And now for me to look back and say I was at the first show for Alexander Wang or I was at the first show for Tom Ford for Gucci – well, those were such life-defining moments. I think there is a lot of sameness because there is a lot of fashion on the scene right now. For me, it has always been about instinct. After 25 years, I have to trust my instinct to know that sometimes there's really strong potential with a designer and, sometimes, not.
So many people that I've met in the world of fashion told me that, growing up, they often felt like outsiders, which is ironic because they go on to be part of the biggest insider club on the planet. Was that what it was like for you as a kid?
Absolutely! That's what makes fashion so attractive to so many people. There is a chance that, once you get out of high school, you can enter an industry where you can actually be celebrated for your eccentricity. I think that doesn't exist anywhere else. You could never enter the medical field or the finance field and be celebrated for being an eccentric. I think that's why it attracts so many people that may have had a particularly difficult time growing up.
What words of encouragement would you give young talent out there?
The one thing I tell everybody is to be yourself and have a point of view. That is the most important thing. I used to flip through photographers' portfolios and think, "Oh, you're just trying to be Bruce Weber, you're just trying to be David Sims, you're just trying to be Annie Leibovitz. And you look like a very pale version of them." Or I could look at a designer and say, "You're being influenced by Givenchy" or "You're being influenced by Prada. But that's not really you! You haven't tapped into who you are!" It's not about chasing the idea of a trend just because that's what Givenchy showed. If everybody's doing black and what you are about is print, then maybe you just have to do it. Fashion is constantly changing as it is. If you stick to your true self and your true aesthetic, people will get it and the authenticity will come through. If you're a writer, be you. If you're a stylist, be you. If you're a photographer or a designer, be you. Cool is really amazing, [but] it isn't something that you can really chase. I think if you just be you, that part will come.
This interview has been condensed and edited.