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| The cover of Issue II of SID Magazine. |
Skinny Suspenders: Working as the Senior Editor of SID, what have you found to be the most enjoyable part of your job?
Tom: There is a great creative freedom to my role at SID, and I've met some truly legendary and talented people within the industry over the last year or so. But the most gratifying has to be seeing the end result. Knowing the history of the planning and revisions that take place for an issue of SID, the greatest moments come right towards the very end when it all comes into fruition. To finally have an issue in its physicality, but also to release it and celebrate that release is really very exciting.
Skinny Suspenders: What about the menswear industry do you find most intriguing these days?
Tom: The growth of the menswear industry has been pretty cool, especially this year with LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN to kick start the menswear calendar, but what's really exciting is how technology is converging with fashion. Social media, tweeting, and blogging affect fashion no end. Going digital has reversed the automatic flow of centre to periphery, allowing consumers' voices to be heard with the same salience as the brand. The Internet now is this great imagined community, a digital aviary tweeting admiration as well as concerns, co-creating value, where everyone is a critic. Designers like Jeremy Scott and German Lavroskiy using computer generated or computer inspired graphics predominantly for their design too is really exciting. German is only 16, or 17, and he's going to have such a massive career. Already collaborating with Formichetti, I really can't wait to see what his future brings.
Skinny Suspenders: How would you describe your style?
Tom: Quite monochromatic. I won’t don a wifebeater, baseball cap and a pair of creepers. It’s just not me. Favourite brands are Reiss, Burberry (minus the trench) and Unconditional.
Skinny Suspenders: Is there anything in your routine while getting ready for the day that you do daily?
Tom: Caffeinate myself.
Skinny Suspenders: How is it, balancing life and work?
Tom: Life and work seems to run into one and I don’t mind. I work with great people that I spend a lot of time with outside of the office. I work with one of my greatest of friends.
Skinny Suspenders: What led you to work at a men's magazine?
Tom: I don’t have an extensive background in fashion. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time now. I’ve been very lucky. I worked as a press assistant, and moved on from there. It’s very much a right time, right place story.
Skinny Suspenders: How does a magazine like SID, who focuses on fashion in a global sense, create content that will be appreciated by a wide-range of readers?
Tom: An A-List celebrity, or a celebrated fashion icon on the cover is surely a failsafe way of achieving a guaranteed global success, but this really isn’t in the ethos of SID right now. SID is about introducing something new and distinct, and I think all corners of the world are always looking for this something new. We can revel in that. At the moment, we’re in the process of setting up a Chinese language edition of SID, so that the magazine will reach a wider audience. We have a great team of talented stylists, makeup artists, and writers working for SID. So hopefully with quality and unique content, success should follow.
Skinny Suspenders: One of the things the magazine strides to do is to 'redefine the idea of luxury'. What would you say is SIDS idea of luxury?
Tom: SID injects a bit of youth into luxury brands that can be quite alienating to a younger audience. There’s a lot of colour in SID, which is quite refreshing. It’s good to see big punchy patterns and designs like the work of Katie Eary on the pages of SID. We’ve got a great retrospective look at her past collections in SID Issue 2. Showcasing new talent like Malene Oddershede Bach, Nicholas O’Donnell Hoare etc. amongst established brands is what we are all about.
Skinny Suspenders: Because SID is a biannual publication, a typical issue is around 250 pages in length. What are both the advantages and disadvantages to producing a magazine that isn't released monthly?
Tom: It’s really great to punctuate the two major fashion seasons and releasing biannually allows us to do that. Unlike online magazines, there is no immediacy to a print magazine, especially one that only releases twice a year, so we have to plan months in advance and anticipate the interests of the near future. Two issues a year does limit the connection between our readers and us, but social media and social networking tremendously affects that. Tweeting readers, and staying in touch via Facebook and releasing content solely online allows us to connect with readers outside of the pages of the magazine.
Skinny Suspenders: What about the magazine do you find most compelling?
Tom: It’s future. I’m really excited to see where SID, and the brand, will go- how it will grow and diversify. Recently, SID became a special media partner with the non-profit China Luxury Industry Association and Issue 2 was released this week along with its sister magazine, HAYS. So it’s both a busy and fun time for us.
To purchase the magazine click HERE.
