Lagerfeld and Starck, towering figures in fashion and design, have devised unique covers for their issues, each using paper technologies never used before on magazine covers, says the publisher.
The Lagerfeld cover features his latest muse, top male model Baptiste Giabiconi, dressed in Dior Homme. Readers can peel off this image to reveal another, which shows the model in nothing but his birthday suit.
Starck’s front cover has three layers made of see-through tracing paper, each with an image representing a different stage of evolution. Absolut Vodka has taken advantage of the transparent paper in Starck’s issue and produced a double-layered bespoke advert for the outside back cover, which promotes its Rock Edition bottle.
Lagerfeld’s guest-edited section focuses on the visual. A Renaissance man of huge energy and appetites, Lagerfeld is as passionate about architecture and design as he is about fashion. He also has considerable skills as a cameraman. Over 27 pages, readers feel the full force of Lagerfeld’s ardours as he shoots his way from Ancient Rome to mid-century Paris, via the Palace of Versailles, with his perfectly formed new muse, Giabiconi, along for company and human interest, of course. He also tells the reader about his remarkable collection of houses and the extraordinary collections of things he has filled them with.
In contrast to Lagerfeld’s personal journey, Starck takes readers to the edges of the universe, infinity and beyond. He has done it all in product and interior design – and on a wider, larger, broader and more talked-about scale – but design is not what Starck wants to talk about. He has a new passion and purpose. ‘It is my mission to make intelligence sexy,’ he insists.
Approaching scientists, physicists, cosmologists, the sort of men whose lives are spent in search of extra-terrestrial life forms, and the odd artist and activist rock star, Starck has asked readers to think about time, space, matter and the never-ending quest for the meaning of life. Where are we going? And are we going to like it when we get there?
Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers says: “Like their illustrious predecessors, Lagerfeld and Starck have made full use of their prime piece of Wallpaper* real estate. Both have stepped out of their creative comfort zones to challenge our preconceptions as well as their own. It is a fascinating, contrasting portrait of 21st-century genius and they have both delivered outstanding projects that are memorable and collectible. Their covers have pushed the boundaries of magazine design and production: the art of ink-on-paper manifest.”
In addition to the special guest-edited edition of Wallpaper*, September sees the magazine embark on a host of creative projects. These include a creative design partnership with iconic Swiss brand Victorinox, to launch a series of three limited edition Swiss Army Knives; and a 100% Norway exhibition, curated by Wallpaper* design editor Henrietta Thompson, which is exhibiting at London’s 100% Design Festival.
Moreover, Wallpaper* is celebrating the London Design Festival in September with two creative partnerships. The first, in association with Ercol, is a striking arch sculpture constructed solely of Ercol Original stacking chairs. The arch is designed by Martino Gamper and will be displayed at the V&A Museum. The second is a partnership with B&B Italia, in which three top designers will create one-off chairs to be displayed during the festival in its flagship London store.
The guest edited October issue of Wallpaper* hits the newsstands on 10 September.
Now onto its third edition, Wallpaper’s Guest Editor issues are an established publishing event, says the publisher. Previous guest editors of Wallpaper’s October issues include French artist Louise Bourgeois; acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid; and Comme des Garçons founder and fashion designer Rei Kawakubo. The first guest-edited issue in October 2007 secured American artist Jeff Koons, French fashion designer Hedi Slimane and German designer Dieter Rams.
About Wallpaper*
Wallpaper says: “International, intelligent and influential, Wallpaper* is undoubtedly the official authority and commentator on design. In recognition of this, the judges at 2008 British Society of Magazine Editors Awards selected Wallpaper* Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers as winner of the coveted prize of New Editor of the Year.
In addition, at the 2008 Press Gazette Magazine Design and Journalism Awards, Wallpaper* picked up a hat-trick of awards: Best Designed Consumer Magazine of the Year, Best Designed Magazine of the Year and Young Designer of the Year.
Wallpaper* has readers in 93 countries and has unparalleled success in reaching the design elite right across the globe. Growing to 12 issues in 2008 and producing a limited-edition cover with a different design personality each month, Wallpaper* has evolved from being a style bible to an internationally recognised brand.”
