Formerly of Bono Must Die, Tobi O’Kandi’s new project O.Children has made a slow but steady impact upon the music scene, bringing a moody post-punk sensibility that is more a total reworking of the genre than mere homage. Diverging from the throwback styles of other post/punk/pop acts whose sound can seem disingenuous at best. O’Kandi’s vocals have a certain rawness that lends a more aggressive flavor to O.Children’s sound, a trait rare is other modern frontmen working in the genre, whose affected boredom and laconic sound is more posture than passion. Though their album was prefaced by a number of singles in the UK and finally released in mid July, their presence stateside has been a steadily growing phenomena to the point now where a critical mass and more notable attention is not far off for them here in the US.
photo : Luke Copping hair : Erin Moser
makeup : Leane Steck
interview : Zach Rose and Meagan Hendrickson
Jennifer Link is the founding member of Auxiliary Magazine and one of the driving forces behind it. With a background in fashion and fine art photography, Jennifer has held various positions such as art director, photographer with several prominent alternative designers as clients, and lately, entrepreneur. Jennifer is the editor in chief of Auxiliary but also contributes to the magazine as a photographer and occasionally a writer.
What do you do at Auxiliary Magazine?
I am the Editor in Chief and Publisher. I also contribute as a photographer and writer having shot some of Auxiliary’s fashion and beauty editorials and having written a few articles and interviews.
How did Auxiliary get started and how has the magazine evolved since its inception?
Well the idea and desire to start a magazine came to me while I was living in New York City. I was looking for outlets for alternative fashion editorials as a photographer, and found there weren’t many and there were hardly any that fit exactly what I wanted to do. I also noticed many people around me where complaining about the state of the goth/industrial/alternative/whathaveyou scene while at the same time there were so many great designer, musicians, photographers, and creatives out there, struggling. So I decided I wanted to start a magazine for alternative fashion, music, and lifestyle that would highlight all the great artists out there and provide an outlet. I took this idea back to Buffalo with me, as I had a few close friends there that I wanted to work with and I would need way less money to work and live in Buffalo while building up the magazine. The core group of editors, Luke, Meagan, and Mike formed and we put together the first issue with the help of some friends and contacts we had in nearby cities, Toronto and NYC. The magazine has evolved so much since that first issue. Each issue is better than the last, in my opinion, and with each issue I think we tune and tweak the magazine closer to what we envision it to be. We’ve brought on many different contributors and expanded our core team. We’ve developed the magazine in so many different ways since then, I can’t even start to get into it!
As a photographer yourself, your more recent published work has been geared more towards fashion, your start was with fine art photography, how did this change come about?
I went to school for a Bachelor of Fine Arts. I had thought I wanted to focus on video, but after taking a photo class realized I was more interested in my photo work than my video work. My last year of college my work was highly focused on fashion and how one uses personal style, so after college it seemed an obvious transition into editorial fashion work. I do want to put together a new series of ’fine art’ photos at some point, but they would most defiantly feature alternative fashion/style in them. At this point I know that’s the main subject for my photography, whether it’s fine art or professional fashion work would be mostly determined by the output, a gallery or a magazine. I’ve had the idea for a while for a series that would be shot in a way very similar to shooting editorial fashion but the final display would be large format prints. I love viewing large format photography, so that will probably be what eventually draws me back to making a new art series.
photographer : Luke Copping
hair stylist, makeup artist, and fashion stylist : Jessica Jean
Meagan Hendrickson :
The days of long ago when ladies had hats and gloves for every occasion and looked like they glided across the floor in long flowing gowns may appear only like a scene out of a historic movie, but modern women are taking glamorous and romantic notes from eras such as, the Victorian era, the 1920s Jazz Age, and the Elizabethan era, and combining them into current ensembles that embody a grace and pose of aristocratic women. Contemporary cuts are being found in historic inspired designs, such as this black velvet jacket, which is reminiscent of a 1800s women’s riding jacket. The lush material of this jacket draws the attention upward and accentuates the nipped in waist line.
The black satin ball skirt is a common and versatile piece in any notable women’s wardrobe. The long flowing layers of fabric keeps some mystery to the women’s body and while seeming demure in nature, showcases a women’s beauty and grace as an extension of their sensuality in it’s use. Women could use the ball skirt or ball gown in flirting with just a twirl and flicker of the piece, very abstract to the modern world, but alluring and intriguing still. Dancing, moving, or even walking in such a large garment can be quite cumbersome and laborious, but once mastered feels delightful and even free as your legs are not restricted.
While I could go on describing each piece and the inspiration Jessica Jean’s aura, expressions, and mood bring to me, I am delighted to see the appreciation for by-gone eras where sweat pants, hoodies, and jeans were not even a glimmer of an idea. Our society has become so casual, sloppy, and morose in terms of dress that any reason to appreciate fineries in this modern age makes it a little bit more fashionable. Empires may have risen and fallen and the aristocratic age is over, but who’s to say you can’t dress up for an evening of cocktails and dancing to take you to on a journey.
photographer : Luke Copping
fashions : Jessica Darwin
fashion stylist : Molly Hoeltke
makeup artist : Shianne Valetta
hair stylist : Kristin Draudt
model : Kerry Quaile
Meagan Hendrickson :
Break out of the “little black dress” syndrome of the past and push forward to include wardrobe basics in fabrics like cotton spandex, leather, and even latex. Don’t be afraid to step back and allow your clothing to make a statement, be uncomplicated, and allow the drama of sleek sophisticated designs to grace your body. Avoid the common pitfall of alt fashionistas, it’s not about loud designs in color and texture or fad-like concepts that seem like eye grabbing ideals, but rather, the truth is in the subtle details.
Jessica Darwin is a designer who uses a captivating combination of line, design, and tailoring. To really understand Darwin’s designs you need to experience them for yourself in person. While photography captures the beauty and ideals of the garments, to hold the pieces in your hands is to truly hold pieces of art.
The eye is drawn to the texture of the clothing. The designs are effortless chic. Set against an industrious back drop, create a subdued drama that is truly inspirational by design.
By Nieves natural body care products are an apothecary influenced natural body products rooted in the traditions of herbal medicine and natural pampering. Their products combine a sense of old world ingenuity and simple elegance that reinterprets well into the needs of the modern beauty product consumer.
This may be a magic potion for your skin. We live more active lives, deal with a great deal more air borne pollutants in our daily lives, and have skyrocketing stress levels. Needless to say, our skin is putting up with more than ever. Nieve’s “C” perfect skin, used regularly over a course of week, recovered our test subjects skin from everyday wear to the point that she now regularly goes out without makeup. Her skin is clean and smooth, in visibly better condition, and glowingly healthy. For all the benefits though, be in store for some shocking results the first few days you use it. Especially if you experience some of the effects we witnessed. Notably, the serum seemed to be so effective on blackheads that they seemed to lift up out of the skin pores they are clogging and slough off in a slightly gross but effective process. This is a must have product, and extremely effective. Its natural ingredients are often replicated in other serums and skin treatments. There is nothing to exotic here. But in these particular ratios it does seem to be a more effective treatment than many other natural skin serums I have seen on the market.
Cloud of protection is advertised as a mood and immunity lifting area spray as well as a hand sanitizer. And while the smell is wonderful, calming, a lightening, and it does make a more pleasing hand sanitizer than some of the nasty antibacterial slimes that are out there, we have found an even better use for it. I have not found a single product, in years, that covers and removes pet odors more economically that Cloud of Protection. One or Two sprays near a breezy window or vent is more than enough to circulate it through a whole room. Its a wonderful floral/herbal, but not sickly smell that seems to neutralize several of the more noxious odors of domestic animals, “fragrant” kitchens, and ripe bathrooms. Its not a chemically invasive as nasty aerosol air fresheners, and the effects last much longer. Even after the scent has faded, the air in the room will continue to feel lighter and fresher for some time.
photo : Jennifer Link hair : Erin Moser
makeup : Leane Steck
interview : Zach Rose
As an original member of Auxiliary Magazine, Luke Copping’s background in photography, marketing, and popular culture helps Auxiliary achieve the success that it enjoys. Luke’s unique approach to beauty, style, and character photography lends an aesthetic of quirk and dynamism that is entirely his own. An internationally recognized photographer, Luke’s style continues to evolve and his contributions to Auxiliary continue to lend content that is both exciting in nature and provocative in its styling.
What do you do at Auxiliary Magazine?
What don’t I do? As the Associate Editor I work on all aspects of the magazine. On top of writing and photographing several articles each issue, I work on design, marketing, editing, and advertising issues, I also work in article and shoot production, and I work closely with the rest of the editorial staff on the direction of each issue. I also manage a lot of the blog content. I’m sort of the jack of all trades, I go where the work needs to be done and tend to fill a lot of different spots on the magazine’s roster, as well as providing content as needed to fill holes in our issue layouts.
As an individual utilizing several different roles with Auxiliary, which do you find to be the most rewarding and why?
Its all good, and all an outlet for what I do. Whether I’m creating imagery or writing for the magazine, or launching a new marketing idea or plan. I think too many artists have a poor concept of business. I like to pride myself on having the skills to do both. You can’t run a successful venture like this without being both creative and business savvy. That’s why I enjoy working with the team here so much, they take it as seriously as I do, and truly want this venture to succeed.
How does Auxiliary Magazine influence local fashion markets? Non-local?
I’m not concerned with us influencing markets as a whole. I think that Auxiliary, at least in terms of my perception, is much more about pushing people to create their own styles, rather than being mere slaves to the fashions we show. I dread us ever becoming a magazine like Gothic Beauty, one which I feel simply regurgitates the latest pseudo alternative trends and uniforms that you see influence the club scene. I think our readers are more intelligent than that, have a wider range of interests and don’t need to be told what to wear, merely shown what is out there so they can make up their own minds. I try to introduce elements of fashion and style from a variety of backgrounds that other magazines either tend to deride or ignore simply because these aesthetics and ideas do not fit into what I feel are the small and narrowly defined categories that it seems these magazines adhere to. High fashion runway shows, vintage and thrift, DIY, street fashion, and elements of the South American, Eastern European, and Asian fashion scenes are all present throughout our editorials and blog entries. I think the most important element in developing an alternative fashion magazine is to absolutely NOT play to the stereotypes. These are bad trends and poorly thought out fashion ideas that propagate within the mob mentality of several alternative countercultures. I have no time for elitist tribes that espouse individuality while only allowing social creativity within a limited scope. We owe our readers more than that.
This week’s item is in honor of the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death on August 16th. We at Auxiliary take the King of Rock-n-Roll’s passing very seriously.
Luke is rockin’ the King’s look.
You can honor Elvis in your own way by rocking a pair of Elvis 1970s Sunglasses in either gold or silver. You can find these sunglasses and much more at www.shopelvis.com, which is the official Elvis and Graceland online store. You too can be TCB (Taking Care of Business) in these fine shades and perhaps do a little hip shake down the isle while you’re shopping, or karate chop your way through a crowd, then wiping the sweat from your brow with your cape. No matter how you evoke the King, don’t get “All Shook Up” because, the King’s memory will never die!
