blog team
ABOUT SONNY GROO
Amsterdam-based Editor and Stylist Sonny Groo started his career at a dutch PR Agency where he landed his first internship after graduating from high-school. It was there he discovered the world of styling which made him leave the agency a year later to pursue his dream of becoming a stylist. While working at a local bakery on the side he has been assisting different editors and stylists to gain experience and build his portfolio. In 2009 he founded Mykromag, an online magazine where he was able to collaborate and connect with the creative talents he couldn't reach out to before. And finally being able to express his own creative input and show the world his ideas and stories. A year later Blend Magazine decided to spread her wings and release and International Issue, they asked Sonny to become their Fashion Editor. At the moment Sonny is traveling a lot between Amsterdam, London, Paris and New York. He is still working on both titles Blend Magazine and Mykromag, but also started a column for V Magazine and different collaborations with brands such as Cold Method, Scotch & Soda and United Nude. His latest project is a book-collaboration with the emerging designer Rad Hourani for which the duo interviewed and photographed model and muse Viviane Fauny and other inspiring people around her such as Patti Wilson and Wayne Sterling.
The Paper Movement
This month The New York Times is named best selling iPad application. The newspaper still in print, which was founded by Henry J. Raymond and George Jones in 1851, decided to release their online version as an application for the first time in April 2010, handing their readers a more easy way of reading while traveling and gaining a bigger audience worldwide. Ever since the first iPad was released, the number of printed publications launching their own app has increased enormously with Apple’s Newsstand Application gaining over $70.000 in sales a day.
Perhaps it can be said that online will be the future in publishing. On the other hand it can also be said that even though online is gaining much more power, printed publications will never disappear. In the current bookstores we are seeing new magazines pop out of the blue each month. Between the emergence of these new magazines and papers, we’re also discovering some papers focused on fashion, and are wondering wether making a fashion-paper rather than a fashion-magazine is a way to stand out or if we may be facing a whole new generation of papers.
Let me introduce you to my personal favorites:
ACNE PAPER
A well-progressed desire that developed into a cult-hit and one of today’s most intelligent fashion papers around. Founded in 2005 by Acne’s Creative Director Jonny Johansson, CEO Mikael Schiller, Editor-in-Chief Thomas Persson and Fashion Director Mattias Karlsson. Their goal was to create a magazine that wouldn’t feel or look like anything on the market, a publication that was about style rather then fashion and journalistic integrity that would balance between historical as well as the contemporary aspect in all creative fields.
Seven years and thirteen issues later the bi-annual selling paper is an established name in today’s art as well as the fashion industry and respected for its very own signature. Their latest issue, #13 The Body Issue, can now be bought in a number of bookshops and stores around the world, as well as through their website acnepaper.com
GLAMCULT
The Style Paper started as an underground tabloid which was distributed by hand to a select group of stores in the Netherlands. Founded in 2003 by Rogier Vlaming and Wiebe de Ridder, the now-a-days Independent Style Paper can be found in most bookstores, cafes, clothing stores and schools through-out the country. With a circulation of 40.000 issues a month the Style Paper became
one of the coolest publications in town and will hopefully spread their wings abroad any day soon. In the mean time you can visit their website to stay updated, glamcult.nl
MANUSCRIPT
The quarterly-printed mens journal created by Editor & Publisher Mitchell Oakley Smith, Design Director Nicholas Adamovich and Fashion Director Jolyon Mason may put its main focus on the new generation of fashion-forward-thinking men, but with their high-end advertisers and top notch names in the magazine, this paper is likely to become an instant hit sailing our way from Australia. For more information you can visit their website manuscriptdaily.com
MR. PORTER
Are men the type of customer to be shopping online was the question. Mr. Porter – the husband of Net-A-Porter – proved anyone thinking this way wrong, shipping their products to over 117 different countries and selling more then 42.000 shoes, to merely mention their success. With over a thousand images being shot for their website’s Journal, it was a matter of time before the online hit would be taking to print welcoming ‘The Mr Porter Post’ in Fall 2011. In the printed publication you will find anything that comes along when talking about style, ranging from the best boots for the season to combining neutral colored items in your daily wardrobe or how to organize your closet. The Mr. Porter Post is send to anyone subscribing through their website, mrporter.com
THE FUTURE OF FASHION BLOGGING
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to join the Firestarters Talkshow by Vodafone. One of the main questions we discussed was: Are fashion bloggers more powerful then certain big editors and journalists?
The current phenomenon fashion bloggers shouldn’t be something new to most people, but in case you haven’t heard of any, try googling the top notch: Bryan ‘Bryanboy’ Yambao, Diane ‘A Shaded View On Fashion’ Pernet, Pelayo ‘KateLovesMe’ Diaz, Scott ‘The Satorialist’ Schuman, Susanna ‘Stylebubble’ Lau, Tavi ‘StyleRookie’ Gevinson, Tommy ‘Jak&Jil’ Ton.
I have to add, blogging has been going on for years. When I look back at my own timeline of online posting and writing I remember a daily diary with added photos starting in 2000 through the website CU2, followed by PP2G, Myspace and eventually Blogspot in 2007. But what is it that turned online writing into the term blogging and eventually in a full-time job for some?
Take for example Bryanboy, the in Manila born blogger, who not only has a Louis Vuitton bag named after him, he is also living of the weekly posts – flying from one event to the other while sharing the inside information and sponsored brands with anyone online. Or how about Tommy Ton, the Canadian blogger who went from shooting people on the streets to shooting campaigns for clients such as Lane Crawford and becoming a contributing photographer to titels such as Vogue.
Maybe the most remarkable one is the young Tavi Gevinson, who was discovered at the age of 13 and recently modelled the cover of the 90th anniversary issue of the french L’Officiel. Question remaining: When did the big fashion bloggers became the new IT-celebrities?
The big editors and journalists are not in line when it comes down to the current hype, Purple Magazine’s editor Olivier Zahm mentioned to ‘hate them all’, meaning the front row sitting bloggers. While other editors such as Anna Wintour and Anna Dello Russo have both been a big support to the young talents. But what would someone like Cathy Horyn think? And most interesting, how much more influential and powerful are they really?
With Tumblr and Twitter being the new hype it appears that we choose quick and easy images and text over well written and photographed stories. We are in need of the latest information in the quickest way possible, choosing to read and see it from someone posting it first, instead of it being posted by one of the best.
So what after blogging? What if certain editors will be replaced by several bloggers? Or if some bloggers are asked to fill in a couple of pages a month the same way they once did for their blog? What will be the future, the blogger or the journalist? Or is the blogger perhaps the new journalist? Answers and opinions can be sent my way.
NOTE: Of course our own country has some well-known bloggers as well, don’t forget to visit afterDRK by Sabrina Meijer and CommeDesLeroi by Leroy Aznan.
Hyun Yeu
Over a year ago I met Korea-born designer Hyun Yeu. It was his PR agent Jan Schoon who phoned me to mention I had to meet the Gerrit Rietveld Academy graduate as his work could be something interesting for me to use. When google-ing the designer I remember seeing beautiful womenswear, lots of see-through materials, shape and volume. However when meeting the designer and seeing his latest collection in person I came across menswear, many short blazers and suits in different colors. Conclusion: I never borrowed a single piece.
The second time Jan invited me to come and see his collection it was in combination with another emerging designer, Ehud. It was there and then that I discovered Hyun his eye for detail, from the horn buttons with his name, to the crooked fit or even a folded second layer somewhere un-expected. I could also see a very interesting balance between classic items that would easily sell to ones who were more creative and daring.
Two weeks ago it was Hyun himself calling me to tell me he was nominated as one of the five finalists for the Dutch Fashion Awards 2011. He asked if I could come and see his archive as well current collection and turn it around towards one strong and suitable signature that he could show the judges and in-crowd coming to the event. In the end he didn’t went home with the main prize, but he did win the Dutch Incubator Award which gave him the opportunity to collaborate on a collection with high-fashion department store De Bijenkorf. It seemed as if the judges were pleased with Hyun his total package and his understanding for detail and quality.
From all the emerging designers in The Netherlands I have Hyun Yeu high on my list. When thinking about who’s doing menswear, the list gets even shorter and he may actually be on top. If I could name any emerging designer in our country to keep an eye on, Hyun Yeu is definitely one to watch.
Hyun Yeu will be attending and presenting at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Tranoi in Paris and Gallery 2020 in Antwerp this January. His collection can be bought at selected stores in Amsterdam, Berlin and Seoul. The collaboration with De Bijenkorf will be starting this winter and hopefully available from mid-2012 on. For more information, please visit his website adolesscent.com
