N. F: Robert, tell us a little about Playing Fashion. At 18-years-old you are the editor of an internationally renowned and successful fashion magazine. How did you come so far at an age where most youth in fashion are still trying to sneak into shows?
R. M: Well… Though I started at 15, I have always known that I am interested in fashion and that I want to work in fashion. First it was design and drawing, which were a true passion of mine. Then, at 13, buying my first fashion magazine, I realized that I won’t be the next Nicolas Ghesquière or John Galliano and I switched to my role as an editor, which at that time was really popular, because of the movie The Devil Wears Prada – a true dream for a guy, who lives in a small city scarce of luxury.
I started a blog called “Playing Fashion - the online fashion magazine”. Every month, I worked with my editorial staff on blog posts of different themes. A year later, we released PF as an online magazine at playingfashion.com. The issue was pretty successful, even though it looked really amateur. Then, I went to Moscow, just as a tourist and on my first day, my friends, the amazing Russian photographers Maxim Repin and Nikita Manin took me to a fashion show. Nina Donis F/W 2009 show for them was nothing special, but for me – a real happening. I saw all these people from the fashion magazine. I met Aliona Doletskaya, I met Svetlana Tanakina – an amazing Russian stylist and L’Officiel Russia’s fashion director. It was all so mesmerizing that from there I hadn’t got any doubt about what I want to do in my life.
Four months later, we released the pilot issue of Playing Fashion in Kyiv. That was July 2009. Then, the following November, the first official issue is born. That was the first time I finally felt that I am working in fashion and that I am a part of the industry.
... N. F: Playing Fashion is one of the few original Ukranian fashion magazines, and is bi-lingual. Is that because you want the publication to stick to its roots?
R. M: I am from Sevastopol - a tourist city near the Black Sea, but I live in Kyiv now. And the magazine is published in Kyiv. The idea of making PF bilingual was in the air for about a year, because we have always had a very positive feedback online. And people from Europe and US asked where they can buy the magazine, but for me the question was not about buying but reading. So in November 2010 we started working on the first bilingual edition. Today, we are the one and only Ukrainian fashion publication to be bilingual and selling abroad.
... N. F: What do you believe separates Playing Fashion from other magazines?
R. M: I believe PF is less commercial in comparison to all the other fashion magazines here in Ukraine. And we are the only fashion magazine of its kind in the post-Soviet states working with leadingyoung photographers from all over the world, shooting the best models and producing competitive content against other big publications. ... Click HERE to see more.
One of my favorite Ukrainian magazines.)
