If you follow GLAMOUR on Instagram (which you should!), you’ll have come across the absolutely fabulous, ridiculously hilarious and downright inspiring comics that we post on the regular. So we took some time to catch up with Brooke Costello and Romina and Mariela Goldstein, the talented fashcom.net ladies behind these illustrations, to find out what it means to be a funny, fashionable and powerful female in the creative field.
How was Fashcom born and what inspired the idea to create humorous haute couture comics?
Romina
Fashcom was inspired by Brooke without her even knowing it. My sister Mariela and I were fans of her fashion illustrations, and we wanted to express our feelings through those drawings. We couldn’t meet her face to face, as we live in Argentina and Brooke in the US, so we contacted her online to pitch our idea. She was immediately on board and together we came up with the concept of haute couture comics. In a nutshell, Fashcom is inspired by life, and the humour in the strength it takes to be a strong woman.
Romina Goldstein
Brooke
I’m an illustrator, Romina is a writer and Mariela is a publicist, so between the three of us, we give life to the stories. We create what we know – we are our target market.
Brooke Costello
Brooke
Illustration was always my passion. I can’t think of one day that I haven’t sketched, and I love the fantasy of drawing fashion.
Romina
I wasn’t really aware of how much I adored fashion until I was with Mariela at home, and we were talking about dresses at the Oscars. I was commenting on the looks, and she said, “Hey, you know a lot about fashion – you should do something with that.” So I started writing and loved it.
Mariela
I’ve always had a passion for passion, and even designed my own leather rock-n-roll style outfit for my ninth birthday. Today, I am more into trends than designers, and like trying to understand our relationship with those trends.
What do you like to do when you aren’t making funny comics about modern fashionistas?
Brooke
I love to explore other artists, especially on Instagram, which is such an amazing social channel. I also create websites.
Romina
I’m a fashion blogger and I also write columns and essays for different magazines.
Mariela
Even when we aren’t making comics, I still like to examine women and how they wear trends. I also own an advertising agency and a fashion brand in Buenos Aires called JENGIBRE, which sells patches and other items to personalise clothing.
Mariela Goldstein
Brooke
Anything that has to do with food.
Mariela
I totally agree. Everyone has a relationship with food, which also determines relationships with clothing.
Romina
Comics about friendship and how we relate to one another.
Are any of your comics based on your personal experiences?
Of course. Most of them actually.
You’ve expanded beyond social media, and have taken your business idea to include wall art, stationery, bags and other merchandise. What else do you have planned for Fashcom?
Touching an SA audience was a dream come true, and we want to expand to other countries. Having said that, quality is crucial to us, so we are going to take our time.
What business advice do you have for young women hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Work hard, never stop (no matter how many “no”s you hear) and laugh along the way. The most important thing is to be passionate and create work you are proud of.
Find Fashcom’s comics on our Instagram page at @glamour_sa
