“I want to start by saying that working on 25 every day has changed my life. Of course taking on the role of Editor and meeting the rotating cast of contributors to the journal were new for me, and I was ready for that challenge and will be forever. What I was not ready for was the reaction to the last issue’s use of erotica. The unexpected backlash made me realize that our generation is more conservative than that of our parents. Basically, celebrating a woman’s body as having a sexuality instead of merely being sexual is viewed as wrong. The media operates on a paradox—it’s no secret—where selling the notion of unobtainable beauty is allowed, while portraits of women just being women are simultaneously shunned. However, I still want to continue pushing the boundaries of what a female fashion magazine can be.
“A woman is present” is the title of our second issue and it’s dedicated to women who have made a remarkable impact on our world today, breaking the glass ceiling in the fields of design, fashion, and art. Some have created their own successful brands from the ground up, and others are the head designers of major fashion houses. One such example is Marina Abramović. Throughout her career, she has walked The Great Wall, sat in museums for seven hundred and fifty hours, and scored manifestos. MoMA’s 2010 retrospective of her career has solidified her as one of the most remarkable artists of our time. Inside this issue, through letting us into her archives, she shares with us how erotica and how sexual energy lives within her work. Also in this issue is the iconic Michèle Lamy, best known as the muse to Rick Owens. Lamy agreed to give us a rare glimpse into the brand, including the elusive “Owen’s family,” the people who work with her in the fashion house. The crew are so much more than cogs in a wheel—they eat together, travel together, and are so close that it seems as if they even live together. It was an experience we won’t forget.
For me, starting this magazine has helped me channel the kind of sexual energy I find every woman to possess, and I’m thankful, because it’s opened my eyes to more experiences and the difference we can all make. The women celebrated in these pages have started an important conversation about variations of erotica, and have proven that sexual energy is the source of creation. Without it, where would we be? It’s not an easy question to answer, because the answer continues to be written. I hope we can be a part of it. Enjoy this issue.”

Anja Rubik