Jennifer Croll grew up in Nanaimo, BC, which was a great place to catch frogs, play street hockey, and experiment with giving new hairstyles to My Little Ponies. When she wasn't falling down and ripping holes in the knees of the pants she wore underneath gingham dresses, Jennifer could reliably be found at the library, checking out massive stacks of books that scared her babysitters. She was a big fan of staying up way past her bedtime, reading by nightlight, which may be why she wears glasses today. By high school, Jennifer had abandoned street hockey in favor of going to punk shows, and wore a lot of black. You may be surprised to learn that around this point, Jennifer also discovered the writings of the Beat Generation, and wrote reams of really, really awful poetry.
Jennifer's lifelong love of literature led her to complete the master of publishing degree at SFU in 2004, after which she spent a few years working in magazines, writing and editing on culture and style; her byline appeared in publications like NYLON, Adbusters, and Dazed and Confused. In 2014, she published her first book with Munich/London/New York -based Prestel Verlag. Titled Fashion That Changed the World, it covered the myriad cultural influences on fashion throughout history, from music, to feminism, to sports. Jennifer's book for Annick Press, Bad Girls of Fashion: Style Rebels From Cleopatra to Lady Gaga (2016), flips the narrative: instead of examining the forces that changed fashion, it examines how women throughout history used fashion to change their lives. Bad Boys of Fashion: Style Rebels and Renegades Through the Ages (2019) is a fiercely fabulous look at men’s fashion rule-breakers and icons.
Jennifer lives in Vancouver, BC, with a very sharply dressed tuxedo cat.
