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Skylar Mitchell ✿

~ Skylar@SkylarMitchell.com

Brand Consultant

Creative Producer

Art Curator

Editor

ESSENCE

In my fashion and culture contributions to ESSENCE, I write about the impact of sartorial moments within the contememporary industry landscape.

Leading with particular reverence for the Black editorial tradition, I engage my writing here with application of African-American historical contextuality, placing aesthetic analysis within the chronology of beauty, desirability, and marketability politics.

In addition to feature essays, I complete SEO-optimized news writing surrounding more time-sensitive activiations (i.e. New York Fashion Week, etc.).

ESSENCE GU

Under former editorial leadership of writer + editor Brookyln White-Grier, I contributed cultural essays to the Gen-Z arm of ESSENCE magazine. My work centered on young Black femme and queer voices within online culture and the content creator industry.

Teen VOGUE

Since 2022, I have contributed across editorial formats for the publication, writing and editing essays, interview profiles and television reviews in the distinct Teen Vogue voice. As a longtime Condé Nast brand consumer and freelancer, I am familiar with SEO standards across subsiduaries as well as the respective editing preferences of the poingnant youth-forward reporting team.

AD | Clever

My contributions to the Architectural Digest team lend to the coverage of contemporary living within practical space. I interview homedwellers and artists about their refreshing approaches to design and interior trendsetting, cultivating the expansive range of accessible voices on the platform. I enjoy spotlighting art history, innovative DIY projects, and emerging designers who are pushing boundaries in the industry.

This South African Collector’s Brooklyn Apartment Embraces the Art of Organized Whimsy

(+ more in progress)

The
New York
Times

At 19, I became one of the youngest op-ed contributors to the New York Times’ print Sunday Review in its history with my reflective essay about attending Spelman College.

The article focused on my childhood, cultivating a critical racial consciousness, and framing my nuanced relationship to education growimg up as one of few Black students in a predemominently white town. For various reasons contextualized in the essay, I viewed my college decision as an exercise in cultural homegoing.

Why I Chose a Historically Black College

SLEEK

For Berlin-based arts magazine, Sleek, I wrote about multimedia artist Kristina Shakht and her photo series about the body as a vessel of memory.

Shakht's work is a profound exploration of the female body, blending elements of art, meditation, and feminism. Utilizing sculpture and performance, Shakht invites viewers to reflect on themes of identity, empowerment, and self-acceptance, creating a thought-provoking experience that transcends conventional artistic boundaries.

Kristina Shakht’s Latest Project Is a Meditation on the Female Body

CNN

From 2018 to 2021, I worked at CNN in booking, production, newsgathering, and strategy roles, accruing bylines on the digital vertical as well as on-air script management.

In 2020, during my tenure as a News Associate at the D.C. Bureau, I served on the inaugural Race & Equality team, which was launched as an extension of the coverage on George Floyd’s death and the surrounding nationwide demonstrations. At this time, I wrote repeatedly for the trends / culture desk while co-producing for Race & Equality, often serving as liaison for on-air talent including Susan Malveau as well as Jim Sciutto and Brianna Kieller.

CNN
Style

Among my proudest works are my contributions to CNNStyle, initiating my transition into more concentrated arts coverage and criticism. I was able to interview Anifa Mvuemba at her first in-person collection presentation, creative director and photographer Joshua Renfroe about his mixed-media project “Black Boy Fly,” and gallerist Mehari Sequar, owner of the eponymous arts space in Northeast Washington, D.C.

Artland

In my essay for Artland, I covered the Andrea Festa Fine Art Gallery presentation of Emmanuel Massillon and Darin Cooper’s works. Entitled "Outer Body Experiences," the Paris exhibition ran in 2022, offering patrons an immersive encounter with the dynamic expressions of two emerging talents in American folk art.

Through a harmonious blend of sculpture and painting, the artists intricately dissect intercultural dialogues within Black spaces, addressing systemic issues like gentrification, over-policing, and the maintenance of food deserts with larger reference to African-American material heritage.

Cooper employs a mix of printmaking, collage, and acrylic painting to evoke spiritual release and historical legacies, while Massillon infuses found objects like bullet shells and sand with brass instruments and wooden masks, reimagining contemporary symbols in African American culture with a touch of playful symbolism.

Outer Body Experiences

Business
Insider

I interviewed Dotun Abeshinbioke, a Nigerian set designer and the owner of Ábiké Studio in New York. The activation artist started her work as a Parsons student, making sets for friends and ultimately, corporate clients.

I'm a set designer for photoshoots and events. Here's how working for friends helped me turn a college hobby into a 6-figure business.