Blitz (British magazine)
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![]() Front cover Feb 1986 | |
Categories | Fashion, popular culture |
---|---|
Frequency | Monthly |
First issue | Sept 1980 |
Final issue | May 1991 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Based in | London |
Language | English |
Website | https://www.blitzmagazine.co.uk/ |
BLITZ was a British fashion and culture magazine published between 1980 and 1991.[1]
Its contributors included the writers Paul Morley, Susannah Frankel, Jim Shelley, Simon Garfield, Ian Parker, Marc Issue, Fiona Russell Powell and Paul Mathur; photographers included Nick Knight, Russell Young, Gillian Campbell, Marcus Tomlinson, Pete Moss and Julian Simmonds; editorial staff included Tim Hulse and Bonnie Vaughan; its fashion editors were Iain R. Webb (from 1982 to 1987) and Kim Bowen (1987 to 1989). Jeremy Leslie was responsible for the graphic design of the magazine from 1984 to 1989.
History
BLITZ was the creation of two 20-year-old Oxford University undergraduates, Carey Labovitch and Simon Tesler. They launched the first issue in
Throughout its life BLITZ had a reputation for being the most "arty" of the style magazines,.
In 1986, fashion editor Iain R Webb commissioned twenty designers to customise a
Another offshoot from the main magazine was the publication by Ebury Press in 1987 of Exposure!, a book of black and white portrait and fashion photographs from the first seven years of Blitz, accompanied by an exhibition of prints from the book in the 20th Century Gallery of the V&A.
The economic boom period of the later 1980s saw the magazine at its peak both commercially and creatively. However, it was ill-prepared for the recession which followed in 1990. Unlike its two main rivals, who had by then secured financial backing from larger publishers, Labovitch and Tesler had chosen to remain wholly independent. The sudden and precipitous downturn in advertising proved disastrous for the magazine and it was forced to close in May 1991 after its 103rd issue.
A large quantity of its photographic and other content is now held in the archive of the Victoria & Albert Museum.[23]
A resurgence of interest in the fashion and design of the 1980s led to a series of retrospective events in the summer of 2013. These included the publication of a hardback book by Iain R Webb of his work for the magazine, As Seen In Blitz (ACC Publishing Group); followed by a weekend of events and talks at the ICA in London.[24] Six of the Blitz Designer Jackets from 1986, which had been purchased by the V&A, formed part of that museum's summer 2013 exhibition Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s.[25]
References
- ^ "Ten Magazines that never should have Closed". 10 Magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ http://www.blitzmagazine.co.uk/images/34/blitz34_sept_1985.pdf p.5
- ^ Cochrane, Lauren (15 May 2013). "Celebrating Blitz magazine – style bible for 80s club kids". The Guardian.
- ^ "Blitz, arty magazine and style bible for 80s club..." design-is-fine.org.
- ^ Blitz magazine, September 1986
- ^ Blitz magazine, June 1987
- ^ Blitz magazine, March 1984
- ^ Blitz magazine, November 1985
- ^ Blitz magazine, September 1987
- ^ Blitz magazine, March 1984
- ^ Blitz magazine, July 1986
- ^ Blitz magazine, September 1988
- ^ Blitz magazine, November 1988
- ^ Blitz magazine, September 1987
- ^ Blitz magazine, November 1985
- ^ Blitz magazine, November 1985
- ^ Blitz magazine, September 1988
- ^ Blitz magazine, February 1986
- ^ Vimeo.com
- ^ Blitz magazine 8
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Blitz magazine, July 1986
- ^ "The Discovery Service". The National Archives.
- ^ "A Weekend with BLITZ Magazine". Institute of Contemporary Arts. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ Exhibitions
External links
- BLITZ Magazine archive website [1]
- As Seen In Blitz by Iain R Webb (ACC 2013) [2]
- Exposure: Photographs from BLITZ Magazine 1980-1987 [3]
- Vogue: London Calling From the Early 1980s [4]
- The Guardian: Celebrating BLITZ Magazine [5]
- BLITZ Magazine design by Christophe Gowans [6]
- Magculture: Remembering BLITZ Magazine [7]
- The ICA: A Weekend With BLITZ Magazine [8]
- Victoria & Albert Museum: Club To Catwalk - London Fashion in the 1980s [9]
- Another: Fashioning 80s Style [10]
- National Archives: V&A Archive of Art and Design [11]
- The Observer archive 1981: New Kid on the Block [12]
- The Independent: The BLITZ Spirit [13]
- Fashionista: Renegade Spirit [14]
- Style Bubble: BLITZ from the Past [15]