Violet Book #11
Issue 11 of independent women’s magazine Violet Book hits the shelves this week. With two powerful covers featuring Zoë Kazan and Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, we’re wondering why it has flown under the radar for so long.
A vibrant mix of interviews of interesting people, by interesting people, and fashion with a difference sets Violet apart from other fashion-focused magazines. Editor Leith Clark has serious credentials in the fashion world – and indeed here she styles the two cover stars’ shoots – both understated yet complimentary to the subject’s personality.
The magazine is packed full of star talent on both sides of the script: Awkwafina interviews kindred spirit and fellow New Yorker Natasha Lyonne (above), and activist (and the magazine’s Senior editor) Sarah Sophie Flicker interviews Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche .
Famous people interviewing famous people is by no means a new idea – but it adds a different dynamic to an interview: the dynamic breaks through a fourth wall for the interview convention (eg when interviewers try to melt into the background, as though if their questions were more than a couple of lines long, and anything other than to the point, they’d lose the reader’s interest), and the conversational tone – pauses and stumbles included – is written as though spoken (above).
Alongside that are several features with non-celebrities, who have been photographed and interviewed because of their personal strength, interests, or hobbies. Notably, ‘Gen Zed’ profiles ten teenage skaters (above) with lairy street-style and uplifting stories of why they love skateboarding.
‘Violet’ is an interesting and perhaps unassuming title for a magazine - the floral undertones of the word are it’s reflected in the style of the magazine. Title pages are bordered with illustrations of flowers, and many of the fashion features embody that particular aesthetic.
But don’t mistake this for saccharine: the styling for ‘Earth’s Crammed with Heaven’, photographed by Catherine Servel, is witty, and highlights the diversity of the models involved – many who may not see themselves represented in other fashion magazines.
Editor in chief: Leith Clark
Acting art directors: Felicia Bourke & Marissa Bourke