Prim Queen |
| By: Lilach H. & Jen Smordin-Goldman |
| |
It's not every day a 14 year old girl launches her own online fashion magazine, landing her in the front rows of all the hottest fashion shows in N.Y.; We spotted this young talent online, her name is Kristin and yes, she is 15. Kristin founded "prim" magazine a year ago which has since gathered a following of over 102,000 readers internationally. We had the privilege of interviewing Kristin about her life, her success & how "Prim" came to be |
| |
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
A: I was born and raised in NYC. I am currently 15 years old. When I'm not working, I love playing guitar and taking photos. Musically, I love Amy Winehouse, The Virgins, Snowden, Jimi Hendrix, MGMT, Crystal Castles, Justice, and The Black Ghosts. My favorite designers are Balenciaga, Alexander Wang, Alexander McQueen, Balmain, Phillip Lim, and Anna Sui, although I honestly could go on all day. I was also pleasantly surprised with Charlotte Ronson's, Erin Fetherston's, and Monarchy's newest collections at NY Fashion Week. They were simply amazing.
|
|
| Kristin | | | Q: What was the creative inspiration behind "Prim"?
A: Prim was basically inspired by everything that inspires me. I'm deeply inspired by the grunge era of the 90s and I think that spills into my fashion sense to a degree as well. However, I refuse to let that era overtake the style of the publication because then it just seems like nostalgia; it's nothing new. I think anything totally grunge is boring just as anything totally sophisticated is boring. I'm a leather and lace kind of girl; I love to mix things up. If you want to look messy, pull it together with something very chic. If you want to look chic, pair it with something edgy. I'm always looking for that shock factor; I'm always looking for that parallel. Prim is also constantly inspired by designers, there are certain emotions that emit themselves from collections and we always try to showcase that within each issue.
Q: How old were you when you started your magazine?
A: When I started Prim, I had just turned 14 years old. However, I think it might have been a little premature. During that time, I was trying to find my own personal style and if the editor is still trying to find her style, the magazine isn't going to go in a good direction. But I think that if it wasn't for that early start, the publication wouldn't be where it is today. So I thank my little immature and young self for having the guts to start it when both my fashion sense and fashion knowledge were subpar. All I knew was that I had an eye for aesthetics; I knew what looked good.
Q: Who was/is your greatest fashion icon?
A: I'm deeply inspired by Mary-Kate Olsen and Karl Lagerfeld. I think both of them have such a distinct and cutting edge style that is very hard to both imitate and achieve.
Q: What future goals you have set for yourself in the fashion world?
A: If you asked me this a month ago, I would have said to attend NY Fashion Week for my own work, standing room or not. Last week, I walked into Fashion Week and had seats. People and photographers were taking my picture. It's amazing yet weird to see that people know who I am. That was pretty much the highlight of my career so far. When I first began Prim, it was a tiny DIY publication. It was never what I wanted it to be, but it was all I knew how to put onto pages. For our one year anniversary issue (dropping April 1st), we have extensive runway coverage of almost every show at NY Fashion Week.
My staff and I had a pact in the beginning that we would have 100 readers in a year's time; that was truly all we wanted. Within that year, we have grossed just over 102,000 readers per issue. When I founded Prim, my other dream was to make it into Teen Vogue just because it was my favorite magazine at the time. I told myself by the time I was 25, I would be covered once. So far I've been interviewed twice by them in a year. I also wanted to be in ELLE, Fashion TV (it's my favorite channel), and Glamour... I wanted people to know who I was. I have happily accomplished this within 6 month's time. So I think it would be next to impossible to even guess what my next plans will be. All I know is that I want to keep building Prim up to be a publication others can look up to. And by the look of the next issue, I think that will be thoroughly accomplished.
Q: How has living in N.Y is influenced your fashion style?
A: I think living in NY has greatly influenced my style just due to the fact that everyone looks different. When you walk the streets of NY, anything and everything is acceptable. This has taught me to not care about what others think of what I wear and to feel comfortable in anything.
Q: for such a young woman we were really impressed with the resources you were able to attain, such as content/editorial shoots/production value, do you outsource or are you solely responsible for the production of your magazine?
A: I am pretty much responsible for everything that goes into the publication. Although I do not write everything, I edit everything, and although I do not take the photographs themselves, I have input pertaining what goes into the shoot. Occasionally, I'll write, but the time I used to have to do that before is quickly dwindling down. I try to have the greatest role I can in the publication without taking power away from the staff and doing everything myself.
Q: What is your favorite aspect when it comes to putting together Prim?
A: I love the photo spreads. When you flip through a magazine, you look at photos. Graphics are the first elements that draw people to a certain publication. However, content is very important as well.
Q: How did you come up with the name “Prim”? Is it personal to you?
A: Not at all. The name itself is ironic. Our style is not "prim" at all so we decided to give it that title just to bring a little fun into it. |
| |
| |
|
