The Youth Culture Magazine That Put Naomi Campbell and Missy Elliot on the Cover Is Relaunching

Popular youth culture magazine The Face is set to re-launch digitally in April, followed by a quarterly print magazine launch in August. When the magazine debuted in the 80s, it was a cultural landmark for the UK’s youth, documenting everything from subcultures to fashion and music. It proved to be much more than a magazine to its readers, it was a Bible for all things cool.

Back in the 80s, The Face focused in on new romanticism, a short-lived subculture that combined elements of punk and glam rock, but without the nihilism and anti-fashion pillars of Punk. New romantic style was all about art-deco, being flamboyant, with nods to the clothes and costumes of romantic periods in throughout history. The emergence of the subculture coincided with the debut of Vivienne Westwood’s “Pirate Collection,”(A/W 1981) a very straight-forward representation of the style at the time. Bands like Culture Club and The Information Society were at the forefront of the movement with their crooning tunes, tattered tresses, experimental makeup styles.

With the relaunch, The Face plans to once again have its finger on the pulse of culture, to be “not just about what pop culture matters, but why pop culture matters.” According to the New York Times, in addition to a full time staff, the title have rotating mix of contributors, including the designer Grace Wales Bonner and Acyde and Tremaine Emory behind the label No Vacancy Inn.

Some of the most recognizable imagery from The Face over the years include: the black and white Madonna portrait, a young Kate Moss in a Native American headdress that surely wouldn’t fly today, and Andre 3000 styled as an Egyptian prince. They continue to be posting on Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr amongst fashion and music enthusiasts, showing that the covers have had such a huge impact on culture but also a yearning for something similar.

So why bring The Face back now? According to the press release, “because there’s a new, exciting, energised generation who have been ill-served and short-changed by the emptiness of today’s ‘feed’ culture.”

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