Alumni Voices: How a Fashion Graduate Navigated a Magazine and Digital Media Career

Meet the Alum

Name: Raena Loper

Majored/Degree in: BAs in Fashion and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies

Current Role: Fashion Commerce Editor at Oprah Daily

Career Highlights

Montclair State University student Raena Loper was working at the front desk at Blanton Hall when she found an internship listing for O, The Oprah Magazine and applied.

“I thought, why not? I feel like I could be great there. They were looking for a style intern and a fashion intern, and I had worked in the fashion department with [now retired] Professor [Abby] Lillithun, and I worked in the historic costume closet. That’s what got their interest, and then from there it was history.”

That was the start of her 10 years in media, where she worked on Oprah’s Favorite Things and The O List, two signature features of Oprah magazine, and pitched directly to Oprah Winfrey. That internship led to freelancing and eventually a full-time style assistant style editor position where she worked on Oprah's Favorite Things for four years.

“I was the youngest on the team at the time and would present to Oprah, and I loved it,” she says.

Two magazines — Good Housekeeping and Forbes — and one layoff later, she’s come full circle, now working as Fashion Commerce Editor at Oprah Daily. Her work space is directly across from Editor-at-Large Gayle King’s office and her supervisor is Creative Director Adam Glassman, who “watched me grow up from an intern to now being in my early 30s,” Loper says.

From Montclair’s Historic Costume Closet to Oprah Daily’s Fashion Closet

Also a Montclair Educational Opportunity Fund program scholar, Loper says she applied all that she learned in her classes and the discipline ingrained in her during her EOF participation. She won honors in the Fashion Department’s Independent Design competition at Montclair three years in a row and experienced a full-circle moment when she helped judge the student competition in 2024.

Loper’s willingness to tackle assignments and hard work has served her well. When she was laid off from O magazine in 2021, for example, she was immediately asked to join Good Housekeeping, another Hearst title, as a product and reviews updates editor.

“I did everything from testing ranges and microwaves and sewing machines and all the things; it's really cool there,” says Loper, who especially enjoyed working with scientists and engineers. “It's a bunch of very intelligent and knowledgeable people who know a lot about products and are very passionate. I learned a lot from them. That’s also what brought me back to Oprah Daily — my testing background with both Good Housekeeping and Forbes.”

Today, Loper’s daily responsibilities include product testing items, recently denim and coats, to evaluate performance and quality for readers. 

She’s also worked at:

• Forbes as a weekend updates editor and SEO content strategist
• InStyle as an accessories freelancer
• NET-A-PORTER as a style assistant

Advice for Students

Drawing on a decade of experience in the media and fashion industries, Loper shares key insights for students and recent graduates, outlining how learning, humility and action impact your career. 

Her biggest piece of advice is to treat everyone with respect. “Make sure you're kind and respectful to everyone that you come across and try your best. More of Loper’s advice to succeeding in fashion or other industries:

Put yourself out there - “You have to have an internship. I found the Oprah position while I was working at the front desk at Blanton. Those internships are so important and are there to help you with your career, especially early on.”

Be a learner - “Regardless if I was doing a job that I thought was too big or felt I was too knowledgeable, I did it anyway because work is work, and the connections are the connections.”

You’re always networking - Some industries, such as publishing, are tiny, she says, noting that most, if not all, of her jobs came about because of someone she knew and previously had worked with. “Everyone kind of knows each other…You never know who you're going to work with again.”

Trust your path - “Take constructive criticism but also follow your heart.”

Loper sums up her career thus far: “I’ve been blessed.”