Worn
There’s no shortage of fashion magazines on the shelves, but Worn stands out by a mile. For one thing it’s funny – and not in a bitchy ‘look what she’s wearing’ sort of way. It’s clever and witty and warm, and manages to make fashion genuinely interesting rather than just a series of pretty pictures – not that there aren’t plenty of those. Made out of Toronto and describing itself as a ‘fashion journal’, Worn is part academic journal and part indie zine, brought together as a lovely, thoughtful magazine. The advertising is mainly in black and white and mainly for Toronto clothes shops, giving the whole thing a strong sense of a local scene that carries through into the editorial, but without becoming parochial. The first fashion magazine to make it into Stack, it’s only a shame that Worn is only published twice a year – we’ll be sending it out as soon as we can.
The Stack interview
Name
Serah-Marie McMahon
Job title
Founder & Editor
What is Worn?
Worn is an alternative to mainstream fashion magazines. Instead of concentrating on trends and pushing products, we explore the concepts and ideas of clothing. Twice a year we deliver fashion from a historical, cultural, political, personal and practical point of view.
What makes it different to the rest?
Well, in the most recent issue, we have a piece on the psychological effect of mannequins that I think sets us apart. There are regular features like fashion haikus and reflections on a mother’s fashion lessons. We have long, in-depth articles about the history of fashion objects like safety pins and spandex, photoshoots with girls who don’t look like models and clothes that don’t cost three months of rent. One of my motivations for starting Worn was that I was obsessed with clothing but couldn’t find many publications that examined fashion in the way that I was looking for.
Who makes Worn?
Mainly a group of girls in Toronto and Montreal. We have contributors from all over; Paris, London, New York.
Who reads it?
An aspiring fashion designer, a cultural studies professor, a fibre artist, a 15-year-old boy obsessed with clothing, a vintage collector, a museum curator.
Why do you work in magazines?
I love love love the printed page. While I am grateful for the opportunities the web provides to connect internationally, I like reading long articles and looking at big, full colour images and that just can’t happen online in the same way. One of our mantras is that we’re trying to get away from the word “fashion” meaning “trend.” We don’t use phrases like “last year” or “next season” because, in our view, a great looking outfit never goes “out of fashion.” There’s something more enduring about print that we think complements our aesthetic.
Aside from the print magazine, what else are you involved in?
I studied Fine Arts in university, and I still create work using fibre techniques: quilting, crochet, and embroidery mainly. I also make my own zines and have just started getting into mail art.
What would you change about Worn if you could?
If I could afford it, it would be at least twice as thick, and four times a year.
Can you pick a favourite issue of Worn?
I always seem to like the newest one best, we learn so much every issue that they get better as we go.
Where do you see Worn in five years?
In the hands of every clothing obsessed intelligent person on the planet.
