Colophon 2011

Rubbish

Issue 01

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Rubbish Ltd

It's what everybody's talking

London, UK

326 Kensal Road, W10 5BZ

Email: orders@rubbishmag.com

• Category: Fashion
• Periodicity: Annual
• Language: English
• Format: 215 x 280 mm
• Price: £ 23.45
• Web: http://www.rubbishmag.com

Exclusive Interview

It’s sad but true: money makes the world go round…

What is your magazine about?
Rubbish celebrates the silly side of style, tips the idea of what a fashion magazine is all about on its head and celebrates the consequences.

Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
Myself [Jenny Dyson] and my brother Jack are both journalists. My day job for last three years is European editor of Teen Vogue and my brother writes for UK GQ magazine. We both came up with the idea in my kitchen one evening, about three years ago. I was pregnant with my second child at the time and feeling thoroughly frustrated with the fashion world, mostly because I didn’t feel I fitted into it, literally! My brother and I were both fed up with the lack of humour in fashion writing. Is it possible to be chic and funny? Rubbish investigates that… The idea was to create a reaction to all the gloss and sheen that is out there, pressurizing people to buy the same, dress the same, etc.

How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
We launched our first issue during London Fashion Week, 2006 in Feb of this year. It took a long time to put together! Two years or so from the initial concept. Mostly it was lots of collaborations with brilliant photographers/writers and lots of content from myself. The biggest hurdle was finding a great art director who could bring the idea of a fashion annual to fruition in a brilliant way. Nick Steel, of harrimansteel design agency was that person. Once his company was on board, the design side of things started coming to life and it started taking shape. The team is basically me, plus the art directors, my brother as deputy and our contributors… but full time it’s about three of us.

What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
Belief in the concept, never giving up, talking rubbish to everybody all the time 365/24/7!

Which are the key incredients for the success of your magazine?
Wit, originality and high production values

What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
Funding! I am publishing rubbish myself. This means creative fees are penny sweets rather than a nice commissioning cheque. I secured sponsorship from the very forward-thinking British high street brand Miss Selfridge the DAY before we went to print! They totally saved me and made Rubbish happen. It’s sad but true: money makes the world go round…

Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
In every teenager’s bedroom! And on their grandparent’s coffee table too. Rubbish is not age specific. It’s about having a bit of punk in your attitude to fashion.

Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
If I can maintain independence and push the readership as far as possible, it will be amazing. But I predict some kind of collaboration/backing from a publishing company to help us reach a wider audience.

What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
We are planning a totally new concept of advertising for issue two. And at the very least, we love sponsorship as it gives us the freedom to be exactly what we want without corruption.

Do you think that magazine readers still need to watch TV?
Nobody needs to watch tv. Frank Lloyd Wright once said it is chewing gum for the eyes. Crap magazines are just the same. A decent telly programme, a great magazine, they are the same.

Which is your relationship with your printer? Does he play a main role in your development?
We’re trying a new printer for issue two so I’ll get back to you on that one!

Which magazines did influence you most? What are you looking for in other magazines?
All the glossy ones as we wanted to be totally a reaction to them. My references for Rubbish are: Bunty/Beano/Judy annuals from the seventies and eighties, 1920s newspapers, Early New Yorkers, Early Vanity Fairs, Private eye.

What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
It’s rubbish!

How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
It depends… Some months I buy EVERYTHING. Others I buy zero. I am a maniac. But not in the way this question suggests…!
E-mail interview from “19.06.2006”. © Colophon2007.com – Mike Koedinger Editions SA (Luxembourg)

Rubbish

What is your magazine about?
RUBBISH is a fashion annual. It celebrates the silly side of style, has fun with fashion and tips the idea of what a magazine should be on its head, then celebrates the consequences.

Who’s behind the project? Tell us about the founders, their backgrounds and their motivations!
Myself and my brother Jack, along with my other half Nick Jones [he suggested the title], came up with the concept of a magazine that has fun with fashion. Our motivation was frustration! Why does fashion have to take itself so seriously!

How do you produce one issue? How much time do you spend on it? How big is your team?
Well... in the last year, we have produced newspaper versions of RUBBISH at London Fashion Week in the form of LONDON FASHION WEEK's DAILY RUBBISH. We have also popped up inside a new broadsheet paper, in LONDON FASHION WEEK's THE DAILY. We are in fact becoming a POP UP PUBLISHING COMPANY!!!! It is very exciting. The annuals have taken more than a year to produce each. We are currently working on issue three, for publication in 2009. Our team is myself, my designer Nick Steel, plus a ton of contributors.

What have been the important steps in the life of your magazine?
Funding funding funding You can never have enough of it and it's always like chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Just when you think you're there, the rainbow moves.

Which are the key ingredients for the success of your magazine?
Quality, Originality, Wit and Beauty, plus equal amounts of attention to words as to pictures.

What are the difficulties you are confronted with? What would be “the” thing to help the magazine to improve?
FUNDING! Oh, and for people to have a sense of humour.

Where do you want the magazine to be in five years?
A beloved collectors item, with its counterpart, the newspaper counterpart, Daily Rubbish, a cult throwaway read for young and old too [this is work in progress].

Tell us about your audience! Who are the readers of your magazine?
Fashion people, fashionable people, grannies, teenagers, art students, creatives young and old from around the world.

Is remaining independent important to you? Is it part of the strategy?
Yes it is very important but I would never say no to hooking up with a bigger publishing company if it allows the publication to remain itself.

What’s your relationship with advertisement? Does it influence your content? Do you care about advertising-driven-editorials?
We created really fun advertorials for Daily Rubbish and I believe it is a more honest way to advertise. I also appreciate the importance of giving advertisers something for their money! You have to look after your benefactors. For me, it's about choosing to advertise with brands you respect and admire/are inspired by. That way, everyone's a winner.

What do you think of your issue 01, when you look back at it?
I feel really proud and also kick myself as the cover illustration was too dark.

Magazine favorite(s) that inspired you in your career.
The Beano, Vogue, Private Eye, The Onion, and the tv show Have I Got News For You.

Do you keep old copies of magazines? If so, what is your favorite in your collection?
Yes, loads of old Beano annuals from the 60s and 70s. Also Bunty comics, and many other Blue Peter Annuals and others from my childhood. My favourite is the Benao collection. Dennis the Menace Rules!

How many magazines do you buy / get / read each month? Do you qualify yourself a maniac?
Depends on my pocket money allowance. I buy/read more comics than magazines. Definitely a maniac.

We are compiling answers from some of the most innovative magazine makers around the world today. Who else should we ask?
Rob Montgomery, associate publisher, Dazed & Confused. Barbara Ryan, fanzine creator.

Answered by Jenny Dyson (editor in chief) Magazine: RUBBISH Email: jenny@rubbishmag.com Date: 11-11-2008

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