At PUBLIC Editions, Alex McWhirter Lets the Images Do the Talking

Alex McWhirter, Creative Director

Hometown: London, England
Based In: Los Angeles, California & Paris, France

What first drew you to fashion, and what shaped your path into the industry?
I grew up in South East London. My mum was a nurse who loved painting and drawing in her spare time, and my dad was a journalist for a business travel magazine. Our house was always filled with books, old newspapers, and paintings, and I think that combination in my immediate environment drew me to fashion through magazines. I loved poring over interesting images and layouts, studying covers and typography. In the mid-2000s, there was such an incredible variety, from Vogue Italia to 032c, that it was hard not to fall in love with print as a teenager. I hoped that one day I might have the chance to work at a fashion magazine. Eventually, my creative journey brought me to New York, where I became Art Director at V Magazine.

What led you to launch PUBLIC Editions, and how do you define its identity within today’s independent magazine landscape?
After my time at V Magazine, I was lucky enough to join Calvin Klein when Raf Simons became the new CCO. Going from an independent magazine with 20 employees to a $7 billion company undergoing the most significant rebrand in its history was a huge shift. It was every bit as creative, but the sheer scale of the organization meant ideas took time to come to fruition, and I missed the immediacy of working on a bi-monthly magazine, where shoots were constantly coming in thick and fast. That love for editorial is what led me to start PUBLIC Editions, I wanted to create a fashion magazine focused on the public at large. If there were an interesting subculture, we would cover it. If there were an incredible talent, we would find them. We try to approach everything with purpose and meaning. I wanted to return to the basics and let the images speak for themselves. No text, just a pure visual exercise. A beautifully printed edition of no more than 250 copies, created for the people who truly wanted it. Publishing once a year also allowed for more intimate collaborations between ourselves and each artist. The first time I knew we had succeeded was when I saw our images referenced on other artists’ mood boards. That’s when I realized our visual identity had truly made an impact.

The ninth issue of PUBLIC Editions centers on the idea of Uniform. What drew you to that theme, and how did you want it to be interpreted across the issue?
Fashion Director Eline Hoyois and I have always been drawn to uniforms because they embody a fascinating contradiction. On one hand, they can be imposed upon you; on the other, they can be self-selected. Either way, they act as markers of the communities to which we belong, and that is how we wanted to explore the idea of uniformity throughout the issue. For example, I’ve always been interested in the distinct style of Australian cowboys and cowgirls, also known as ringers. Their uniform is shaped by both heritage and practicality, and photographer Derek Henderson captured this through a compelling series shot at a rodeo in New South Wales. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Vivienne Westwood represents a different kind of uniform, one that is self-selected and signals a sense of subversion to the outside world. We were fortunate enough to access ten seminal years of the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood archive and bring its spirit to life on the moors of Dartmoor with photographer Siân Davey.

You’ve collaborated with photographers such as Glen Luchford, Elizaveta Porodina, and Frank Lebon. What makes a strong creative partnership for you?
I love that you mentioned these three contributors because each collaboration was very different, yet every story they produced feels unmistakably PUBLIC. We always try to develop story ideas that haven’t been done before. As I mentioned earlier, we’re inspired by the public at large, and I think that naturally feeds into our creative partnerships.The starting points are usually personal experiences and observations from our everyday lives, which then get translated into stories. When you’re approaching a subject from a new angle, there’s no better feeling than having the entire team excited to rally around an idea.

As a creative director, what continues to excite you most about shaping a publication today?
Each new issue begins as a completely blank slate, bringing with it new ideas and new collaborations. When you spend an entire year working on an issue, it becomes an integral part of your life. There’s nothing more rewarding than finally seeing it out in the world and watching people’s reactions as they flip through it at a launch event. And as soon as that moment passes, you begin again.

What have you watched, heard, or read lately that has inspired you?
I’ve been listening to a band called The Crying Nudes, who I saw perform at a gig in London. I was drawn to the mysterious nature of their performance and the sense of ambiguity surrounding the band itself. I really like the idea of art existing for the people who are willing to seek it out and engage with it more deeply.

What’s something outside of your work that you would like people to know about you?
I actually studied car design for my degree, and I’m really into cars. I’m a huge fan of road trips and the unique places they can take you.

Who’s one to watch?
Our Fashion Director, Eline Hoyois.

Selected Work

PUBLIC Editions Spring 2026 Covers: Uniform
It was a huge honor to work once again with British photographer Siân Davey for the latest issue of PUBLIC Editions. Together with Eline Hoyois, we captured seminal looks from the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood archive against the backdrop of Dartmoor National Park. We wanted to tell the story of each individual piece through movement, and by working closely with Anita Bitton and her team at Establishment Casting, we discovered our cover talent, Helena Olmedo. As a contemporary dancer, Helena brought her own unique choreography to the story, interacting with the world around her from page to page.

A Slap-up Meal for PUBLIC Editions
I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese subcultures, and one of the weirder ones that I read about was the slap cafe – a cafe where you pay to receive a slap on the face by your server. Photographer John Yuyi and stylist Giulia Revolo are such amazing talents, and using their abilities to craft compelling narratives, they recreated our very own slap cafe in Tokyo, with local models cast by Taka Arakawa to play the role of server and recipient. The resulting portfolio of images is one of the most original and fun cover stories that we have ever shot.

Van Seenus for PUBLIC Editions
Guinevere van Seenus is not only an iconic model but also an incredible photographer. Myself and stylist, Roxane Danset worked on a self-portrait series exploring her personal views on womanhood, inspired by the work of Francesca Woodman. We shot at an abandoned loft space belonging to Guinevere’s friend in Brooklyn with just the three of us on location, framing poses and using whatever we could find as props. Guinevere wore Dries Van Noten pieces intimately styled by Roxane. This stripped-back way of collaborating is one of my favorite ways of working.

Nevada for PUBLIC Editions
Alongside fashion stories, we also commission art projects for each issue. For our fifth issue, we wanted to tell the story of America by letting each contributor choose their favorite state. We were beyond excited that Sean Baker wanted to contribute to the issue. He chose Nevada, and actually ended up traveling there to film a scene for his Oscar-winning film Anora. While there, he captured this amazing series of a newlywed’s car freshly decorated after tying the knot!

Last Orders for PUBLIC Editions
London is my hometown, and I noticed that every time I visited, more and more pubs were shutting down due to the high cost of running them. Pub culture is such an inherent part of Britain, and I wanted to create a story that documented the locals in a community who recently lost their pub. Sarah Small, who runs Good Catch, did an incredible job helping us bring this story to life by casting locals all over London. The resulting portraits of locals paired with their shuttered pubs were photographed by Thomas Cristiani and styled by Cristina Firpo, and together, they created one of the most poetic stories we ever published.