British Fashion Recognizes ‘Trendsetter’ Behind Dazed & Confused Magazine | Fashion

“I don’t think there’s been a more difficult time in fashion since I’ve been doing this,” says tastemaker and freelance editor Jefferson Hack, who co-founded Dazed & Confused magazine in 1991. “Brexit has made it incredibly difficult to trade. . The lack of visas has meant that all collaboration between Europe and the UK is gone. And with the tailwind of the pandemic and interest rates, we have this really tough set of conditions for younger designers.”

Hack is dedicated to seeing the world through the lens of young creatives and the challenges they face. It is this enriching perspective that has earned her a British Fashion Council (BFC) Special Recognition Award for Cultural Curation, to be announced this week.

The BFC states: “Hack will be honored for empowering youth through creativity and for creating countless opportunities for next-generation creatives working in fashion, design, art, music and more, providing a platform and supporting emerging talent.” “. The award will be presented to him at the BFC’s annual glittering fashion awards at the Royal Albert Hall in December.

Jefferson Hack with Noomi Rapace, Nabil Elderkin (left), and Miguel (right).Jefferson Hack with Noomi Rapace, Nabil Elderkin (left), and Miguel (right). Photograph: Darren Gerrish/WireImage

Thirty-one years ago, Hack was that next-generation creative. At 19, he co-founded the influential independent magazine with photographer Rankin; stylist Katie Grand joined them soon after. He describes himself as “the baby of the group.”

“They were my original teachers, because they were so confident and charismatic, and I was so shy,” he says via Zoom from the east London home he shares with his girlfriend, 33-year-old American model Anna Cleveland.

Since then, Hack’s collaborators have included the biggest names in the creative industries, including designers Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld, pop artist Peter Blake, photographer Nick Knight, and singers Rihanna, Björk.

Now 51 and having expanded Dazed into Dazed Media, which includes AnOther Magazine and Another Man, Nowness digital video channel, Dazed Beauty and Dazed Studio, Hack is a mentor to many of the young creatives featured on the platform. “I probably do more than I have time to do,” he says.

It all happens at the London headquarters, 180 Strand, which it refers to as a “dream factory” and a “community”: Dazed Media employs more than 130 employees and freelancers. It also houses artist residencies, an exhibition and performance space, and a bookstore, library, and bar.

Tutoring happens “organically,” with Hack making sure he’s in the building at least three days a week. “Physically, it’s much easier if they just meet than it is to have everything scheduled.”

The DIY punk spirit of Dazed’s early days lives on. Hack says he always advises financial and creative independence among his apprentices: “Don’t take anyone’s money unless you’re in complete control,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of people lose their names, lose their brands because they signed contracts that they didn’t really understand.

“It is absolute tyranny. All CV [venture capital] companies want to get in early and win big bets, and then they don’t bring anything to the table.”

He’s been there himself, with “so many opportunities to step away from the platform,” but also “such boring, long-winded conversations around so many boardroom tables, I just don’t bother anymore.”

It turns out that independence is a life force for Hack. “I really struggled to be independent in the late 10s, because of how much money people around me were making and how attractive I looked. But in my heart I knew that independence was the only way I knew how to operate. I’m really happy.”

Source: www.theguardian.com