PpR Journal
Here’s a new fashion journal that looks right at home amongst the sleek shelves of London’s Claire de Rouen bookstore and which is sure to catch the eye of Margaret Howell lovers. PpR is interested in the emotive, everyday responses to fashion as opposed to the highly stylised vision presented in traditional glossies, and it should be seen as part of a trend of magazines that seek to capture the beauty of clothes amongst routine, daily life. Hot and Cool immediately springs to mind, as does Noon and Pylot. While their aesthetics all differ dramatically, these are a new genre of magazines that celebrate fashion whilst simultaneously de-glamourising it – rebellious Mushpit is another current favourite.
PpR’s singular approach is to explore what clothing tells us about the world around us. This is what editor and photographer David Bennett sets out in his introduction: ‘PpR does not set out to dictate or present current trends in fashion but to communicate a language of taste existing between people, clothing and other cultural discourses.’ An essay by Yoshikazu Yamagata entitled ‘Fashion reflects the complexity of nature’ is almost a manifesto for PpR’s thoughtful, minimalist approach, reflecting the magazine’s combination of realism and dreamy wonder.
Gen Kay’s still, sullen shoot of a girl in a bookstore captures the stylish atmosphere of PpR (above), as does London-based Alice Neal’s hazy ‘Red’ shoot (below).
Simple line-drawings by Emi Ueoka transport the mood of the photographs into the realm of illustration (above): her images of girls in tent-like coats with practical pockets and square handbags chime seamlessly with PpR’s simple beauty.
Also inside: a pared-back interview with the Paris-based, Japanese singer Kumi Okamoto (above), and relaxed photography by music producer Joakim Bouaziz (below).
PpR has a simple elegance; it’s stylish in the way that staple items are, pleasing like a soft raincoat, a well-worn moleskin and a thin muji pen.
Editor-in-chief: David Bennett
Design: Matthew Phillips