The Magazine For Fashion Loving Black Women Is Here
When it comes to fashion in print, there are quite a few magazines that are available for inspiration and ideas. However how many of them are geared towards you and me? The lack of diversity is pretty blatant in fashion magazines, and if you do see our representation, it's not necessarily told from our perspective.
The only 2 publications that really speak and cater to the black american female are Ebony and Essence. However that is soon about to change. Qimmah Saafir, a writer and editor saw the void that needed to be filled, and rather than complain about it, she's doing something about it.
Qimmah Saafir - Image courtesy of her Facebook
HANNAH, a bi-annual magazine that isn't quite yet in existence, is Saafir's answer to a space where black women are celebrated, and gives them the freedom to tell their own stories. Saafir tells Huffington Post "I just started to realize that the publications that I loved weren't meant for me or weren't necessarily concerned with representing me or my demographic or what I like."
HANNAH mockup - Courtesy of Design Sponge
HANNAH, who's name pays homage to Saafir's late father who called the sun Hannah (and means grace in Hebrew), will have the look and feel of a fashion magazine, covering fashion and beauty topics, but will also cover stories on sociopolitical issues and technology. Saafir explains that she finds the name suitable as "it feels timeless and boundless to me and fitting for a book that celebrates how black women shine."
HANNAH mockup - Courtesy of Cool Hunting
In order to get this conceptual idea off the ground and make it a reality, Saafir had to raise $30,000 that will go towards content creation, production, and distribution. Not a small feat indeed, but with the help of Kickstarter, Saafir reached her goal by the deadline of October 5, 2015, raising $37,403 from 631 backers. This is what she had to say about getting the news:
"Y'all... I can't even express what I'm feeling right now. I am moving today (yes with all of this going on, I'm also moving lol) and when the news hit, I dropped to the ground and cried in the middle of Mini Manhattan Storage. Ha! HANNAH has been my baby for so long. It's felt like her 10th month in the womb for so long. I've had pains and emotions and trials and happy moments. Bringing her to the world has been a long road and it's only just begun. I wanted this Kickstarter campaign to help fund her birth, yes. But more importantly to highlight for everyone that it takes a village. YOU ARE THE REASON. YOU are why I'm creating this. YOU are why this campaign got funded. YOU are my #HANNAHMuse. To every single one of you who gave a penny of your hard-earned money, who shared any news of HANNAH to anyone, I thank you thank you thank you.”
This is such an awesome story of triumph and what can happen when you actually believe enough in an idea to pursue it wholeheartedly. Fashion is a universal subject matter and we all have our own perspective of it, so I'm amazed and overjoyed that HANNAH, which will likely become a collectors item, is on its way to fruition.
What dream do you have? What void have you noticed? It's not always easy to pursue a dream, but where there is passion you'll find purpose, AND provision. God will make a way, reveal His way, if you actually start moving. You have a vision of the finished product, but don't know how you're going to get there? Think of even the smallest task that in any way contributes to your God given idea. Marie Forleo, a life coach, motivational speaker, and founder of B-School, says that "clarity comes through action, not thought." It's when you take a step that you'll get clarity on the next step, and so on and so forth. If you're dream is to start your own publication, here are some words of wisdom from Saafir as told to Design Sponge:
“I think the starting point is studying/knowing your audience. In HANNAH’s case, I am my audience so I let intuition lead my decisions around creating something I would want to see and read. If you aren’t your audience, study your favorite publication and make note of what you would do differently. Know the rules to break them. Don’t be afraid to write your own book on how to start a publication.”
Eagerly awaiting the announcement of HANNAH's first issue, and until then...
Be Blessed!