Studio Brief 01 - Alternative Fashion Magazines

With the common aesthetic of fashion magazines being full bleed images, double spread pages and a clean and tight copy structure, finding alternative fashion magazines offer a new perspective on what can be done. 

Buffalo magazine

Bored with the mainstream magazines that were available to them, Buffalo founders David Uzquiza and Adrián González-Cohen decided to create the kind of unique and avant-garde publication that couldn’t be found on bookshop shelves. What is unique about Buffalo magazine is their design and layout that changes with each issue. Packed with bold color, wild editorials and ’70s-inspired graphic design, Buffalo pays homage to the forefathers of fashion publishing while simultaneously pushing things forward with a truly individual style. 

Pylot magazine

With only 3 issues so far, Pylot offers to change the landscape by only displaying non airbrushed, unedited models. On top of this, Pylot celebrates the skill and artistry behind analog film photography with a strict “analog only” content policy that even extends to the advertisements. Through this "all natural" approach, rather than changing the layout of fashion magazine design, Pylot are changing the way we view fashion photography and are addressing the unattainable standards of beauty in the media today. 

Sneeze magazine

Based between New York and Vancouver, counter-cultural title Sneeze is presented as a huge, unbound, poster-style magazine with the idea that all pages can be removed and used as art for readers’ walls. But apart from offering this unique reading experience, Sneeze explores deep into back alleys of fashion, street culture, skateboarding and music. This is all paired with striking photography from frequent contributor Kenneth Cappello, and a less-is-more approach to its layout design.

Is In Town Magazine

London photographer Martin Zähringer’s unique magazine concept offers an insider’s glimpse into the fashion world. With his candid and conversational interviews, Zähringer provides a platform for some of his favorite upcoming models to connect with the world. Beginning in 2013 as an online platform, Is In Town  recently moved over to print in the form of a traditional black-and-white zine-style publication. The title allows models to give personal opinions and share experiences about the industry, refuting the out-dated stereotype that models are just pretty faces.  

Recens Paper Magazine 

Elise By Olsen became bored with the safe, minimalist aesthetic of Norwegian publications and set out to break the mold with her independent fashion magazine Recens Paper. Created in reflection of youth and the subcultures it encompasses, Recens’ colorful pages are filled with bold, forward-thinking editorials from young creatives across the globe. Going against the commercialism of the mainstream fashion industry in all its forms, Recens seeks to oppose the pervasive stereotypes of young people held by creative industries.

Out of these 5, Sneeze magazine offers the most interesting layout and content that relates to my interests and practice. Creating the versatility of transforming the publication into posters is an effective and engaging way to appeal to its target audience. The poster aspect gives the publication longevity in terms of staying in the readers mind, allows for it to be used as an advert and adds to the appeal. A poster could be a factor I could add into OUGD404's Studio Brief 02 publication design. Especially if it is about a well known fashion designer and photographer.