Season Zine #6
The sixth issue of Season Zine packs in as much content as possible before the Women’s World Cup this summer. It’s a cause for celebration: 2019 is the biggest year for women’s football yet, and we’ll hopefully be seeing more football magazines step up and cover this huge event.
Published biannually, Season Zine was launched three years ago by London-based football fan Felicia Pennant. She works in fashion, so she combined her two passions to create this vibrant publication. Each issue is themed and this one focuses on Community: something which, as Felicia notes in her editorial, has not always been easy to come by as a female football fan.
The photoshoot with cover star, Arsenal and England defender Leah Williamson, stands out aesthetically in the magazine. Showing the understated floral detailing in the new England kit, as well as off-duty style, the photography is soft-lit and the layout is playful and confident (above). The interview delves into the things that drive her as a player and as a person and reveals her to be a bit of a sneakerhead in the process.
In contrast with the ‘celebrity’ cover, the magazine also showcases artefacts from the history of women’s football, showing that even though there’s a surge in interest at the moment, the passion for the game has always been there. This piece (above) by Florence Lloyd-Hughes tells the forgotten stories of the people that fought to get the sport recognised, or even just played at all, and the objects that they left behind.
You might notice a fold-out directory of influential women within Football fall out of the magazine as you pick it up. Printed on a neon coral fold-out, the white glossy ink stands out for its production values as well as its message. Social media is a powerful tool, so by following them, and by supporting people who champion women you’ll also be helping push things forward. Plus there’s the regular sheet of player stickers, the choices selected by the issue’s contributors.
I love the colour running through this issue, that neon coral in the titles and highlights, with occasional muted blue – the choice is very contemporary and the design overall feels as though it has matured in its six issues. There’s no way to avoid the fact that the content is packed in, but I can’t hold it against the editors, as it’s all so interesting and full of passion.
There’s something a little enjoyably odd about setting a fashion shoot at a football game (above). Pairing football scarves with Maison Margiela blazers, the photography is from the street-style school of shooting from the hip, almost covertly, and I’m undecided as to whether singling this shoot out to be printed on the only few pages of glossy paper works in its favour or not.
The closest magazine I can think of that resembles Season is Gusher – in that Season does not ask what it is like to be a woman in football but gets to the root of these women’s passions and goals in life, and wants to tell their stories in order to empower fans and peers alike. It effortlessly promotes and emphasises diversity and creativity, while oozing confidence and style – from the people who are in it to the magazine itself.
Founder and Editor-in-chief: Felicia Pennant
Design: Miltos Bottis