Elgar Johnson He was still in school when he first recognized the power of sport. At that time, football it was all: if he wasn’t kicking a ball, he would most likely be watching his beloved Liverpool FC. Tennis and badminton also took up a lot of time, although a brief experiment with cricket ended after a badly broken nose.
But it was the sport’s ability to shape and guide those around it that resonated most. “There was always that bad boy, but then they would get on the school team and become the popular boy,” recalls Johnson, speaking on Zoom in a red Liverpool hoodie. “They’ve made numerous movies about that kind of thing.”
It is something that remains with him today. As a stylist and creative consultant (he was, until recently, a fashion director at gq-style, leaving office at the end of 2021), sport has continually influenced his work. However, while he was able to draw inspiration from different sporting worlds, the extent to which he was able to unite his two passions was somewhat limited.
With circle zero eight, however, that is not the case. The new biannual magazine, founded by Johnson, will launch in April with its inaugural print edition. The aim is to highlight the global influence of sport, as well as how it intersects with other corners of culture and society.
For Johnson, publication is the perfect vehicle through which to weave together a variety of different worlds and practices. Although he first came up with the idea “a few years ago,” it wasn’t until a recent visit to Frieze – and a conversation in the pub afterwards – that he was motivated to make it happen. “I was like, ‘You know what, I think I like art. But I don’t think I like art in the same way that I like sports. But I don’t know if I can play sports because I work in fashion…’ So I said, ‘You know what, why not do it all?'”
That mindset is reflected in the variety of collaborators Johnson has brought together to help make circle zero eight a reality. The release number features the work of people like ewen spencer, katie bigY ben reardon. “I just wanted to work with really brilliant people,” she says. “It’s about merging the sport with what they can bring to the table.”
Though hesitant to reveal exactly what will appear in terms of stories (“I’m going to keep it a secret”), Johnson is clear on what he hopes to accomplish, which is “to communicate modern society and culture through the sports car.” The second print installment will arrive in November, he says, at which point there will also be a digital presence.
As for the title of the magazine, the name circle zero eight was born in 2008, after a conversation with his best friend, who has since passed away. “I was walking in Soho with [him] and I saw this incredible building that I have always loved. I said, ‘I’m going to have my offices there one day.’ My partner said, ‘What are you going to call it?’ I said, ‘I’m going to call him Circle.’ He replied: ‘I quite like it, it has no ending.’”
“Obviously he’s not here anymore,” Johnson continues, “so it made sense. I put the words together, and the number too, and I liked the way he did it. I also liked that if you put the eight sideways, it’s an infinity sign. He was aware that if he was going to do a magazine, he didn’t want something that just represented a stuff. It has to be a magazine that can evolve into something else without (the name) being disruptive.”
for Johnson, circle zero eight It will come at a unique time, given the way social media has given athletes a voice on matters that transcend the parameters of their day-to-day work, citing noemi osaka, Colin Kaepernick, and members of the England men’s soccer team as notable examples. It is for this reason that he is particularly interested in demystifying the sport for those who do not consider themselves natural fans. “A famous fashion editor once said that people are afraid of fashion,” he notes. “I think people are afraid of sport in the same way.”
Ultimately, though, Johnson wants to create something that reflects his interests: an amalgamation of different ideas and influences, brought together by the two worlds that have come to define him. It’s a challenge, but he loves getting into it. “That’s the beauty of being independent,” he says. “You can go and do whatever you want and see how it turns out. Usually it turns out very good.”
Circle Zero Eight will arrive in April 2022
Source: www.dazeddigital.com