Detroit Fashion Editor Marji Kuntz
Another fashion editor who I am interested in learning more about is Marji Kunz of Detroit – she worked for both newspapers in the city. The Detroit Free Press includes her in an article about the newspaper’s history: “Marji Kunz — fashion writer who often surprised readers and made the fashion makeover popular — once attended a formal affair in an elegant nightgown to prove a point.”
She is described this way by the API’s Carol Ann Riordan: “Marji Kunz, a fashion writer for The Detroit Free Press, inspired me when I was growing up. She didn’t cover her beat like every other fashion writer: getting swept away by clothing that only Size “0” models could wear or turning fashion designers into cult figures. Marji’s value to readers was covering fashion from a consumer’s point of view – real women, real men, who wanted to look their best without spending a small fortune. For her, fashion spoke volumes about our society, how we perceive ourselves and what we value.”
Kuntz graduated from Wayne State University and worked at both Glamour and Mademoiselle magazines before joining the Detroit Free Press in 1964. She died of complications from pneumonia in 1979 at age 40.
Wayne State University gives out a scholarship in her name for students majoring in fashion.
