How José Criales-Unzueta Became The Internet’s Favorite Fashion Writer

José Criales-Unzueta never planned on becoming a fashion writer. “If you asked me however many years ago if I was going to work at Vogue, I would have laughed,” he said. But José began casually writing about fashion on Instagram during the pandemic, then came a few freelance assignments in 2021 while he was working in fashion design. Now, we’re hanging on his every post. “Your words describe it perfectly,” one Instagram user commented on his review of John Galliano’s Spring 2024 Maison Margiela Artisanal show. “U tore” (for Luar AW24), “Your words are delicious,” someone commented on an Eckhaus Latta review that referenced both a sad, sexy “morning after” aesthetic and Lana Del Rey, and precisely: “Your commentary on these shows is a singular art all its own."

When José first moved to New York in 2018, after graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design’s fashion program, he began helping out then rising designer Christopher John Rogers on some of his first collections. After working a 9 to 5 as an assistant designer at Coach, José would join his friend Christopher’s team in his Brooklyn apartment, cutting and sewing garments on the floor, and discussing the state of the fashion industry – “questioning the status quo – not just criticizing, but contemplating why things were the way they were, and how we could change them,” the designer said. It was there that José realized he had a lot to say, and he slowly began posting commentary on Instagram, screenshotting Vogue Runway images and writing captions on top of them. Now, you might call this his signature style.

“What I noticed in José from the start – and what I believe sets him apart – is his inquisition,” Christopher continued. “His knowledge and research is impressive, but it's due to his constant voracity and curiosity for the unknown. He also understands the importance of nuance; nothing is black or white in his world.”

That is, in part, due to his editorial coming-of-age in the digital era. What José has mastered is merging vast archival knowledge with the language of the internet. The memes. The moodboards. The TikTok sounds. He effortlessly conveys a thought or feeling about even the most esoteric of runway collections to the chronically online, making it accessible, understandable and perhaps most importantly, fun.

Of course, Jose’s interest in fashion pre-dates smartphones and the internet entirely; it all started where he grew up in La Paz, Bolivia. His mom made all of her own clothes, and as a kid José would often accompany her to the store to pick out fabrics. He was always drawn to the materials, the art of construction and later, to personal style – the way his mom, his aunts, all those around him dressed. It led him to study fashion design, to the city and ultimately, to Vogue Runway, where he now works as a Fashion News Writer.

I first met José in February 2022, not long after he’d started writing for i-D, where I worked as an editor for the last five years. We connected over our shared love of Elena Velez’s ragged corsetry, the treachery of our show commute from our Bushwick apartments to Hudson Yards, and gossiped on the University of Notre Dame’s quad at Thom Browne’s annual football game. Needless to say, we’ve since become friends. In order to give Byline readers some insight into the internet’s favorite fashion writer, we spoke over Zoom ahead of fashion month (in José speak: the “I’m so tired” Olympics), to discuss his Catholic upbringing, creating his Instagram persona and the importance of writing about “queer shit."

Nicole: Take me back to the beginning – tell me about where you grew up, and how you got into fashion.

José: I grew up in La Paz, Bolivia. My school was international, so that’s where I learned English. It was Catholic, but it wasn't like the most Catholic. We had a religion class and we had mass, but we didn't have, like, nuns running the school.

Nicole: Did you have a uniform?

José: Yeah, it was weird though because our main uniform was a sports uniform: sweatpants, a T-shirt and a hoodie, then the other days you’d wear slacks, a button down and a sweater. I obviously hated it as a kid because I was like, ‘Oh my god, my creativity!’ Now, you know, we have friends that work at Thom Browne and the idea of a uniform… that must be nice. It would at least make me way less late. What’s funny is it was the way I started experimenting with personal style. It was, ‘Can I wear a colorful sneaker or layer another hoodie underneath?’ It was so cute, and also kind of silly.

Nicole: Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to work in fashion?

José: Growing up, I never necessarily understood that it was a career path. I was always a good student, always a big nerd in a sense, but I never had a favorite subject. When I was about to graduate [high school], it was a big question mark. I was fascinated by biology, so I looked into that. For quinceaneras, for graduation and other occasions, people would always have dresses made. It was a part of the culture – the making of clothes. I thought maybe I could be a designer, but I was also into film. When I started applying to schools, I just knew I wanted to leave Bolivia.

Nicole: Was it that you wanted something new?

José: Yeah, La Paz feels like a small place. You could count the gay kids with one hand, and the ones that were out? There were maybe two of us. I didn’t think I necessarily found who I was when I was there, so I always really wanted to leave for those reasons, right?

I applied to a bunch of liberal arts schools. I applied to Parsons and FIT for fashion, and I applied to SCAD for film. I went to SCAD because they had the best scholarship, and a lot of flexibility. Before going to school I had an internship where I was a PA for a producer on a bunch of advertising films, that helped me realize I didn’t want to work in film. When I got to SCAD, I switched my major almost immediately.

Nicole: And now we’re here, life’s crazy.

José: Girl, it'll take you to some places, you have no idea!

Nicole: What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned at SCAD?

José: I had a lot of fun, but I’m very obsessive in the way that I do things. When I started fashion classes, I had a lot of classmates who had an innate talent – like a born talent – they were sketching, creating and it was so natural. I was a good draper, I was really good with my hands and a lot of that comes from my mom, but I never felt that I was born to make clothes. I was working twice as hard as everybody else. In hindsight, I was really hard on myself too. I really had to learn how to be patient with myself.

Savannah is a small town, but a lot of people at SCAD were queer. So also, all of a sudden I could go out and like, hook up with someone at a club. I had never kissed someone in front of people. I never had full conversations about dates. I had a boyfriend when I was younger, but I was in the closet so no one knew about it. I felt like I couldn’t even tell anyone when we broke up. When I was at SCAD, it was sort of a, who am I? “What Was I Made For?” vibe. The possibilities were endless and I wasn’t wearing a uniform anymore. It was overwhelming.

Nicole: Yeah, I can imagine it feeling like a whole new world.

José: Totally. The first two years were hard and the last two years were really fun because finally, I was like, ‘Girl, it’s not that serious.’ When I go back home and see the people I grew up with, it’s almost a reintroduction. I was really quiet as a kid and I was really tense all the time. I don’t necessarily think I was very nice [laughs] or at least very fun to hang out with until I came out when I was 15. By the time I left SCAD, I was an entirely different person. I found myself. I understood the nuances of gay, queer, gender and also the freedom of like – none of these things are real! My biggest lessons were not about fashion, but about my relationship with myself.

Nicole: Within the fashion program, did you have a specialty or concentration?

José: That’s the other thing, I was never able to choose. At SCAD, you don’t have to have a concentration. I interned at Kate Spade in 2016 in accessories, then I interned at Banana Republic in menswear. I did very corporate internships because my thing was always like, ‘I’m trying to stay in this country!’ I graduated then I went straight into Coach for an apprenticeship, and spent four years there. I was a designer, mainly working on men’s leather goods – bags, belts, backpacks, wallets.

Nicole: And I know you started writing while you were at Coach. How did you make the transition from design to writing?

José: I literally left Coach to come to Vogue. I left on a Wednesday and started on a Monday, which, kids… take a break if you can.

I would help CJR [Christopher John Rogers] on weekends when he was just starting out doing presentations. We were friends in college and he really welcomed me in so many ways. We’d be in his old apartment with his team, who were also just his roommates, cutting things, sewing, doing whatever they needed me to do, and we’d be having such interesting conversations about fashion. I started doing what I do now, screenshotting Vogue Runway, writing on top of the photos and playing around with that. It was fun. I never really thought it would be something serious. My Instagram started growing very slowly, but surely. During the pandemic, I was home and I had more time so I started going even harder at it. I launched a podcast in my living room. Editors started following me even though I never really did the content that goes viral. My first piece was for Paper Magazine in 2021. I started pitching i-D. I look back at the emails now and I’m like, ‘Girl, what is that?’ I wasn’t a writer. I didn’t know how to pitch.

Nicole: That was really the era of a quick Instagram take becoming a 600 word trend piece, like the content creator to writer pipeline…

José: It was the beginning of all of that. I was really grateful to the i-D team, and what we were doing became a thing. I wrote for other people, but the work I was doing there… it worked for me.

Nicole: It feels natural that you would gravitate towards more of an indie style publication, especially a place that’s so focused on identity.

José: That’s the thing, and it's really not been that long, but it also feels like fashion writing has evolved so much. I was there at the right time. A good friend of mine, he always says, ‘It's really wild when dreams come true’. Because that doesn't happen to everyone. It sounds so cheesy, so corny, but it's true. I started at Vogue in May of 2022, and it’s been just under two years now.

Nicole: It’s crazy! I’m so curious, I need to know what your DMs are like…

José: Ugh, my DMs. I reply to everybody. My old roommate used to laugh at me. We had a tiny little gym in our old apartment and I’d go downstairs and walk on the treadmill and just reply to DMs. I’d give myself an hour. It was really a funny thing because everyone was working out, but I couldn’t do it on the street or I’d get run over. The DMs are crazy. I have all my girls and my friends in primary, then everyone else in general. Once a week, I’ll go through all the requests.

Nicole: Work-life balance.

José: Exactly. [Laughs]. Very that. But I reply to everyone for two reasons: I used to be the girl in the DMs; I was DMing Evan Ross Katz, Eva Chen, Phillip Picardi, etc., and I always appreciated a response. And the second reason is because I learn so much, and it informs my work. I’m a digital native writer, so I like to hear what everyone else is saying. Have there been haters? Yes. But I’ve also learned that I don’t have to reply if someone’s being rude or mean. If you’re calling out something, or if I’m wrong, if you disagree, all of those I’m like, ‘Let’s fight!’ I’m happy to answer those.

It’s never wild stuff, like people don’t slide into my DMs flirting. I very rarely get personal on Instagram, which is a choice I’ve made along the way. There’s this public persona that’s a writer, but it’s not necessarily myself.

Nicole: Do you consider yourself a writer or a critic?

José: I literally just heard, ‘Oh my goodness, I love that question’. That’s how my brain works, it’s internet sounds and reaction images. I have a folder full of them on my phone called moods. I consider myself a writer. I would love to be a critic at some point – sometimes I flex that muscle and sometimes I don’t. In some of my Vogue Runway reviews, I’m a reviewer and some of them I’m a critic.

Nicole: Obviously, in today’s world it’s hard to be critical of the people paying your bills. Knowing you on a personal level and engaging with your stories, I think of you as more of a critic.

José: I think it's also that right? A lot of the work that I do on Instagram, specifically, is criticism. This past weekend, I wrote a lot about Gucci. I’m not at the Gucci show, so I’m not assigned to write about the Gucci show. I still had something to say, so I used my Instagram for that. I get away with a lot there to be completely honest, but everyone is very supportive and I’m never told not to post. People around me see the value in what I do.

Nicole: Well you’re creating even more conversation, especially with people who are interested but can’t be in the room.

José: That's why I post press releases because I get them and I spend all day talking to people at work who are all in it. I look at fashion all day, every day for a living, but what if you’re just looking at it in passing? What do you think when you buy this?

Nicole: What do you think sets you apart from other people in the field?

José: I think I'm fucking funny. No, I’m joking [laughs]. I love the internet, so I always lean into that. I use memes and reaction images because that’s a language that I understand. When you talk to people online, in online lingo, the conversations are so much more organic and so fun. I also worked at a brand and I know what it takes to put something on the runway. I know how to make clothes. I've noticed that a lot of the people that follow me are designers or students, and we like to nerd out. I have access now, so I can text a designer and be like, ‘Can you send me a photo of the inside of the jacket?’ I can do that for [my followers], and that’s really cool. I love to over-analyze and over-intellectualize things; that helps when I’m looking at a Rick Owens collection and I’m like, ‘Why am I crying?’

Nicole: This is quite general, but do you find the fashion industry and current fashion landscape inspiring?

José: I find the menswear more inspiring than the womenswear, but I do think we’re in a very interesting landscape when it comes to fashion right now. There's a lot of things happening. There's a curiosity for AI, but also a fatigue from AI. There’s so much emerging talent rising – people that are so passionate about the industry – but at the same time I think people are exhausted by grungy, alternative, the Balenciaga, the Vetements of it all, that aesthetic. People are moving on and that’s giving way to quiet luxury. The Swans. Old money, and like, classicality. Going from the magpie aesthetic of Alessandro [Michele] to the clean slate of Sabato [De Sarno], what does that say about us as a culture?

I will always find fashion inspiring though. I love fashion.

Nicole: It’s such a weird time in fashion and in fashion journalism with many of the traditional media structures crumbling. At the same time there are more opportunities than ever for creators, people who have things to say and are coming up, but that might not be sustainable either. What advice would you give to people who want to do what you do?

José: When I was in college, it was very on trend to be a designer. It was a thing. There was Virgil [Abloh], and the conversations about what qualifies someone to be a designer changed a lot. Now, I think everyone wants to be a writer. It’s cool, but it’s a tricky conversation. I’ve learned along the way that not everyone who does fashion content is a good fashion writer. Short form to longform doesn’t always translate and now there’s a lot of diluted content.

My advice is always to figure out what you’re about. I think the reason that I was able to transition into writing full time, with the caveat that I had a lot of supportive people around me, was that I was able to define my beat. I wrote about gay, queer shit. All this internet stuff, punny, pithy, funny trend reporting. You have to find your niche and be very intentional about what you’re about. And that’s not to say I wouldn’t write about other stuff – the girl’s gotta eat. Rent is due.

Nicole: What’s next for you?

José: It’s funny because when I moved to New York I was like, ‘I’m never going to leave’. Now, I could leave. I’ve become so detached to the idea of staying, and detached to one idea of a job. I love writing. I’d love to write books about fashion. But I love content. I love consuming content. I love creating it. I love interviews. I just want more, in that I personally want to continue expanding. Last year was really about me settling into Vogue and settling into my new lifestyle. This year, it's about having clear delineations of what's what. But again, I love what I do and I love the people I have around me. I just want more of that.

Nicole: Right, and no matter how hard you try you can never really plan it out anyway.

José: That's also the thing, like if you asked me however many years ago if I was going to work at Vogue, I would have laughed. I always say that the only way out is through – that's my guiding principle in life. You can have aspirations and you can manifest all you want, but you just have to keep going.