Teen Fashion Magazine
Some students go to college or the university without knowing what they want or where they are going. Some others are quite the opposite. Noel Duan is an example of the opposite.
Along with her friend, Jina Lim, they came to school with a plan. A plan to start Columbia University’s first fashion magazine, Hoot Magazine. At this point, Hoot is updated online with posts about style, people in the fashion industry, and upcoming events. You’ll also get more info on their blog. Recently, a fashion show was covered with some of the following: “Hoot had the pleasure of attending D2’s 3rd Annual Gala Fashion Show & Scholarship, featuring up-and-coming designer Jennifer Chun. Chun’s line focused on contemporary women wear and featured lots of cute, ready-to-wear pieces (Hoot had our eyes on an adorable black-on-beige, thigh-skimming bow-tied pea coat). We spied lots of modern structural elements that recall the latest 3.1 Phillip Lim collection as well as bright color blocks reminiscent of vintage Benetton.”
They co-founded Hoot one day in Morningside Heights. “I was taking a walk with Jina along Broadway and suddenly realized that Columbia, in spite of its stylish students and the fact that it’s in New York City, didn’t have a fashion magazine,” Duan said. “A lot of schools, like UC Berkeley and Penn, have campus fashion magazines, so we decided that it was time for Columbia to have one too.”
It appears that the first issue is not yet available in print. Anyone that wants to read the magazine will need to do so on line. “It would be interesting to see how one of our most fashion-conscious former students reflects upon her experiences at the university,” Duan said.
They’ve published their two issues so far on a web site called Issuu.com. On the site it says: “Issuu is the leading digital publishing platform delivering exceptional reading experiences of magazines, catalogs, and newspapers. Millions of people have uploaded their best publications to create beautiful digital editions. When will we see yours?”
On the site, magazines in digital form, too many to count. All types seem to be there and most appear interesting. Similar to when one goes to the magazine stand, you had better have a good idea about what interests you, or you may have trouble selecting anything to read. Or, you may end up for hours browsing all types of topics and formats, views and viewpoints.
Even from grammar schools to high schools and especially colleges and universities, publications of all types abound from the school newspaper to various other instruments of reporting and entertaining to informing. In the sea of information on line, it is often difficult to be heard. We wish luck to the budding journalists Noel and Jina. It is a competitive world out there. But, if you have something to say and you are persistent, you will be noticed. Just remember, few magazines make it right away. And as a student, oftentimes the torch must be passed when the founders graduate and move on to the challenge of making enough to survive. Life’s challenges take their toll. All the best!