ELLE’s very own Nina Garcia was honored at last night’s Matrix Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes female leaders who write their own rules and break the status quo in their respective fields.
“At their core, both Nina and ELLE are dedicated to the same thing: lifting women up,” said Lucy Kaylin, the editorial director of Hearst Magazines, who presented Garcia with the award. “She elevates people with real grace and kindness in a way that makes us feel like we belong. Simply put, she uses her platform for good.”
In her speech, Garcia exemplified all the ways she’s broken the rules in her career. “I might call myself a rule editor or rewriter, but I do know that I would not be standing here tonight if I had strictly followed what was expected of me.” The first rule she rewrote came when she began to imagine a career working in fashion. “I grew up in a small city in Colombia. I loved fashion, but coming to America to become a magazine editor wasn’t really the path for a girl in this male-dominated culture. My destiny would have been very different if it were not for my family support and the sacrifice they made to bring me to this country.”
She went on to share how she rose the ranks from “lowly assistant” to later becoming a host on Project Runway, which she was initially apprehensive about. “It required some courage,” she said. “I was nervous because at that time, fashion was so exclusive and so protective. But then I was like, ‘All right, I’ll take this risk. Let’s break some rules.’”
This brought her to the biggest rule she ever had to break—taking over as editor-in-chief of ELLE. “When I was approached to take over as editor-in-chief of the biggest fashion magazine in the world, I knew I would be the first Latina to have that role. And I have found that my Hispanic heritage has been the biggest source of strength throughout my career, as it provided me with a different perspective about beauty, body, color, and race. That made me stand out and made me unique. These turning points in my career have prepared me for this moment in media where we are rewriting the rules every single day.”
This ethos serves as her “guiding light” for ELLE in 2024, she says. “We are engaging new audiences, pivoting to the new platforms, and evolving how we tell very important stories. My hope for the entire media industry is that we can be nimble and surprising and challenge the old rules without ever compromising our point of view. If we at ELLE can help in any way, then we’re going to use every single platform we have at our disposal to lift and empower women. I promise you one thing tonight, that is the one rule that I will never break.”
Last night’s event was emceed by Ally Love and took place at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Kristin Chenoweth (who ended her speech with a moving performance of Nat King Cole’s “Smile”), Meredith Kopit Levien of The New York Times Company, Jill Cress of H&R Block, Jennifer Lowney of Citi, Nancy Reyes of BBDO, and Rakia Reynolds of Skai Blue Media were also among the evening’s honorees.
And notably, a group of 11 young women were named New York Women in Communications 2024 Scholarship recipients for their talent and innovation in their education and careers. Early in her speech, Garcia devoted some time to address the scholarship winners directly. “To the New York WICI scholarship winners, congratulations! Go break some rules and dream big. You are the future.”
Juliana Ukiomogbe is the Assistant Editor at ELLE. Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.
