And they also teach…Juanita Crary, stylist and educator

Juanita Crary is a prominent university professor, but her professional career in fashion spans over two decades, during which she worked for media outlets and styled for major brands and designers. Her journey in the industry began unexpectedly, fueled by an early passion for pop culture and, especially, rock and roll. This interest led her to explore fashion through the aesthetic of her musical idols.

At FashionUnited, we are developing a series of articles titled “And they also teach,” with the aim of shedding light on a dimension often overlooked yet deeply valuable in the fashion world: the teaching work of renowned professionals from around the globe.

Get to know more about Colombian stylist Juanita Crary, who… “also teaches.”

What is the most challenging aspect of teaching while also working as an active professional?

One of the biggest challenges, for instance, when I was leading the Styling program, was finding faculty. You might have someone with an amazing industry profile, but standing in front of a classroom and dedicating time to young people who don’t yet have the necessary tools is a whole different matter. Communication is key. Being prepared with slides, videos… Teaching sounds great, but it’s not easy. It requires a level of commitment that goes far beyond simply knowing the topic — you must know how to communicate and, of course, have the time to do so. For a stylist, it can be even harder because if you work freelance, you never have a set schedule. A client can appear at any moment, and it’s difficult to dedicate the time classes require. Just preparing a class is incredibly demanding — I have sets of over 250 slides for my presentations, for example.

In your opinion, is fashion education preparing students to succeed or just to survive?

I’d say it’s for survival. There’s a big misconception — a general misunderstanding — about what university education really offers. That confidence that a student is fully prepared upon graduation and will immediately find growth opportunities is flawed. It’s the first thing I tell my students: what you do here is only 50 per cent. If you don’t seek out everything happening beyond the classroom, nothing will happen. Sometimes, students tell me a famous stylist called them to assist her, and the first thing I ask is: are they paying you? They say no, but it's for the credit. And I tell them: well, no. That’s not how it works — it should never be for free, no matter who it is. Sadly, these kinds of things aren’t discussed in class, and I think that’s fundamental.

What should fashion education unlearn?

First, the idea that because something looks beautiful, it must be easy. I’ve had to fight every day in class to argue that styling is important — that it’s not just the work of some “lesser” designer, as some assume. Professors literally told students they were taking the easy way out when they switched from design to styling, for example. That’s a flawed idea. Another key issue is identity. The competition is brutal, and if students believe they should just copy what’s already been done — if they lack personal taste or identity — that needs to be re-evaluated. Reference hunting is everywhere, and people lose what makes them unique.

How do you help students find their own voice in such a saturated market?

One of the main classes I always teach is about visual research. I start by presenting everything that influenced me as a child and how it still shows up in my work today. It’s like my DNA. Then, I ask them to present everything they like. I want them to always keep it top of mind — they need to treasure that, because it’s about their identity. It defines the difference I keep talking about.

Do you think artificial intelligence could ever fully replace human participation in fashion education?

I think we’re not far from that point, and I’ve been wondering whether it's even ethical to put people in a classroom and tell them they need to learn how to do something that might soon just require an input. However, even with AI, the input can only respond to the information I feed it — it can’t tailor knowledge to someone’s personal characteristics. That human factor — the ability to emulate emotions — AI will never achieve that. And fashion has that: it still makes people cry, be shocked, or feel joy.

Are there any fashion-world myths you try to dismantle in your classes?

Yes, as I said, this is not a glamorous job. It’s a job for smart people with a head full of culture. If people think it’s just about making pretty things, then sure — but where do those pretty things come from? They come from a vast universe. To work in fashion, you need to know about cinema, architecture, literature, Japanese animation, animals, botany — you need to know a bit of everything. I often tell my students to see themselves as creatives, because creatives carry an enormous universe inside their minds.

If your students could only remember one phrase or moment from your class ten years from now, what would you want it to be?

It might sound funny, but many thank me for my “Why? Why? Why?” I constantly ask why they’re doing what they’re doing: Why is this blue here? Why a tiger? Why daytime? Why not nighttime? Why? Why? Why? They say my questions help them understand their work better — and I’m sure that truly makes a difference.

Also read the first episode of this series, a conversation with Federico Antelo Granero, Visual Artist, Textile Designer and Educator