Take a deep breath. It’s arrived. Issue #05 of Apartamento has just landed and is now available all six of our stores across Australia and New Zealand. (Yeah, we know. Finally!)

We love this magazine. And, as evidenced by the veritable avalanche of calls, e-mails, tweets, texts, telegrams and carrier pigeons that we receive in the lead up to the release of every issue, it looks like you guys are pretty fond of it as well. And if you’ve managed to somehow avoid crossing paths with this mag (which is actually pretty easy, because it generally sells out in a day or two) then allow us to introduce you:

Founded by Omar Sosa, Nacho Alegre and Marco Velardi in Barcelona two years ago, Apartamento is the world’s first ‘everyday interiors’ magazine. Which is to say, it’s an interiors magazine about real people living in real houses that don’t necessaily look like spaceships, aren’t set into the side of a mountain in rural Switzerland, probably don’t have infinity lap pools and might not have even been designed by real architects.

More than gleaming white cubes and perfectly manicured lawns, Apartamento is a magazine about space and the way that people occupy it.

This latest issue has features on an allotment for growing fruit and vegetables in Sweden, an amazing book-filled lair in Barcelona’s Raval district, Lovefoxxx from CSS talking about her Såo Paulo apartment (“This is the first time I’ve had a home of my own. I rule this motherfucking place.”) and an article on French architects Jean Renaudie’s post-war social housing blocks in the suburbs of Paris.

Subscribers, we’ll be sending your copies out first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we’ve got the editors of Apartamento choosing their top five favourites magazines for your reading pleasure…

1. 032c

Almost 10 years on the run and probably one of the magazines that will be remembered the most from the beginning of this century.

2. Financial Times Weekend

All Sunday papers should look at the Financial Times Weekend edition with the Arts & Leisure and House & Home supplements.

3. Acne Paper

Amazing layout and well curated editorial that makes you wish more brands had such taste in print.

4. Purple Fashion

Purple is one of those magazines you can’t keep your eyes off, no matter what shape or form it will take next.

5. Casa Vogue

An ode to decadence and impossible style, mixing the worst with the most exquisite taste, this is the only interior magazine we must bow to.

Sneaker Freaker is one of those magazines that you have to see up close to really understand what it’s about.

A whole magazine about… shoes?

Well, yeah. But it’s kind of more than that…

Founded in Melbourne in 2002 by Simon “Woody” Wood as a ruse to get his shoes for free, copies of the very first issue now sell for over 300 bucks on eBay (that is, if you can find a sneaker head willing to part with their copy!)

Eighteen issues later, Sneaker Freaker is distributed in 43 countries to legions of die-hard fans, has a dedicated Spanish edition based in Barcelona (with a Russian edition on the way!) and collaborates on designs with labels like Asics, New Balance and Lacoste.

This, friends, is niche publishing at its finest.

A visual feast of the latest and greatest in kicks as well as interviews with key figures in the streetwear industry past-and-present and meticulously researched in-depth historical pieces, this really is a definitive round-up of everything you ever wanted to know about sneakers and probably a little bit more.

Issue number 18 comes out today (with a limited edition 3D cover!), so we’ve asked Woody to tell us a little bit about some of his favourite mags…

1. The Face

The Face was so cool I moved to London. How’s that for a magazine’s impact?

From witty fashion to catty pop stars and even natty sneakers on the regular, The FACE was always ahead of the game. Always. Throw in Neville Brody’s quintessential design and you have a magazine which inspired me more than any other. I simply can’t fathom how it folded… I guess there’s a lesson for us all in this tough game.

How iD mag survived is beyond me, but I guess it’s like Coke and Pepsi, you’re either one of the other and I’m as one-eyed as it comes. My biggest magazine regret was ditching my Face collection before I moved back to Melbourne. Such tragedy!

2. Hot Rod

I buy 13 car magazines a month and Hot Rod is my favorite by far. They’ve been around since hot rods were invented and consistently been on the precipice of performance, design and manufacturing for the awesome American aftermarket car scene. Hot Rod is clever. Well written. It has a point of view.

The design is no-nonsense and the cars are always progressive and iconoclasts in a world that could easily degenerate into a retro graveyard for baby boomers. I guess you could say that Hot Rod is the perfect synthesis of 50 years of Californian Car Culture. If they offered me a job sweeping floors I’d be on the next plane to LA quicker than Lara Bingle can say goodbye her Aston Martin.

3. Playboy

I seriously selected Playboy for the articles. I guess everybody does. Actually, they probably don’t even have words anymore, just bazonga-sized boobs and well manicured lawns so I guess I’m talking strictly in the past tense.

In a previous job, I had the pleasure to collect nearly all the 60s and 70s Playboys I could find. Naked women are one thing… and Playboy has those, but when you get Norman Mailer and others of his ilk writing about sport, contemporary social issues and racial politics while at the same time espousing a libertarian ‘playboy’ lifestyle, it’s a pretty heady brew.

Add a timelessly cool sense of art direction and you have a magazine that was not just a sign of its sexy times. Sadly it’s now a pathetic shadow of its former self.

RIP Playboy. The internet gone done you wrong.

4. Vanity Fair

Is this a corny choice? I hope not because I love Vanity Fair.

I could do without their campaign to invent an entire class of whitebread NYC Ivy League royalty, but how can ANY magazine truly be compared to Vanity Fair?

The recent Hollywood issue was incomparable, with never-seen-before features on De Niro and Raging Bull, a wicked insider piece on the reclusive John Hughes (Pretty in Pink) and the Bling Ring, a bunch of teens who pilfered Hollywood celebrities. In this day and age where magazines take five seconds to read, VF still takes a good few hours to get through and is a shining light for an industry that thinks 140 characters is where life is at.

The fact that they have 120 pages of advertisements and start articles in the front of the mag and make you treasure hunt’ to find the last few paragraphs is an irritation that I can definitely live with. RIP Dominick Dunne.

5. Street Machine/Wired

Fifth place was a tough one.

I was going to stump for arch-techno mag Wired, but that wouldn’t be totally honest. And I like to be honest. Even if that means channeling my inner bogan who likes to read Street Machine. Don’t get me wrong, I love Wired for the 13 colour printing experiments and I love a gadget and the way the mag is edited is another level.

Have you seen their new Adobe-built online version? I feel like a middle-aged Luddite, it’s such brainiac next-decade material.

But it’s a lay-down Misère to pick one of the most influential mags of the past decade, so I made it a dead heat with Street Machine just to prove how eclectic my interests truly are. Street Machine is an Aussie mag where burnouts and tubbed Pro Street Monaros with 6.71 superchargers rule. The writing is a little formulaic, but I like to get an insight of where the suburbs are at and you won’t find a better example than Street Machine.

RIP carbon footprint!

Webuyyourkids is design duo Sonny Day & Biddy Maroney from Sydney. They started working together in 2006, making screen-printed posters for bands and have since branched out into all kinds of stuff from CD artwork to identity design and installations, illustrations and all kinds of other interesting projects.

Their work is reminiscent of that children’s book that you were both in love with and absolutely terrified of when you were young; it has a dark, shadow-y noir vibe with smatterings of what the voiceover before late-night SBS movies refers to as ‘Supernatural Themes’… but all in the most playful way!

Closely aligned with the Pop Frenzy record label, over the years they’ve designed artwork for artists as diverse as Xiu Xiu, Weird War, The Drones, The Sea and Cake, Youth Group and plenty of other great bands. Recently they’ve started to branch out into motion design and completed a clip for former Something for Kate front-man Paul Dempsey in his solo guise.

In our humble opinion, they’re doing some of the most interesting work around and they’ll be speaking at the agIdeas conference in Melbourne later on this month (haven’t got your ticket yet? get in quick!) but for now, we’ve asked them to choose their Top 5 Favourite Magazines for the latest in this on-going feature…

1. The Face

Both Biddy and I collected this magazine religiously, separately, before we met, in the 90s.

I was just such a good read, full of all this exciting stuff from across the pond; strange bands, clubs, amazing art and fashion. It was a bit of fantasy. I think that we both were really bummed to find that it had shut down and maybe a tad guilty as we hadnt bought it for a while towards the end.

We also got exposed to some of our favorite illustrators like Jasper Goodall, James Jarvis, Will Sweeney and many more. There is a particular issue with Edward Norton on the cover that was incredibly inspiring to Biddy – it covered a bunch of “new” animators who worked out of their bedrooms on found computers and cheap software making amazing things – including Shynola and Pete Fowler.

2. Big Brother

This magazine was amazing!

It was a skateboard magazine started by a gentleman called Steve Rocco, who in the early 90′s was in the middle of shaking up skateboarding and taking it back to its rebellious roots with his skateboard company World Industries. Long story short… World Industries ran ads in other skate mags that pissed a lot of people with their content and the magazines would often refuse to run said ads.

So the man went and started his own magazine. It was full of articles about hi-jinx, sex, drugs and skateboarding.

Big Brother was sold to to Larry Flynt of Hustler fame who ironically toned down all the things the magazine was reknowned for. Sadly it ceased publication on 2004.

Since BB’s demise, now reading…. Thrasher

3. Hypno

Hypno was again from the 90s and again now out of print. Biddy used to buy Hypno with her last dollars when she went to uni in Canberra. It seemed to be equal parts music and art, and the excitement of reading particular articles still remains in her memory.

There was a feature on Margaret and Walter Keane and their Keane-eyed-art courtroom showdown that was mindblowing at the time. And another article on Jon Spencer that was the first knowledge of the man and incited a keen desire to go out and find his music. It was reeeeeeeaaallly ugly – jammed full of lime green crud fonts and everything else.

The artwork featured was amazing but it was all slapped together and lary… and exciting.

Since Hypno’s demise, now reading…. Juxtapoz

4. Relax

This was such a awesome magazine, seeming like a Japanese version of The Face. Actually I dont know, cos I cant read Japanese.

But it was one the reasons Japan was at the top of my list of places to travel and when I got the chance to go there last year it was everything and more than I was imagining. Thanks Relax!

Also each issue had an illustration by James Jarvis. Bonus!

5. Monster Children

We have every issue of Monster Children. It’s well designed, well written with some amazing artwork featured in every issue. When it first started it was exciting because it was the only local magazine we knew covering both Australian and International artists from a skate background.

We were very honoured to be featured in the mag a few years ago. And get our ugly mugs on the cover!

I’m glad it comes out a bit more frequently these days and is going strong.

If you’re going to call yourself a designer in 2010, it seems like you’ve got to go beyond the call of duty in order to separate yourself from every other stooge out there with a Mac, a blog and a cracked copy of Photoshop. And it’s probably for this reason that we’re such big fans of Melbourne based, multi disciplinary design studio Tin & Ed.

Drawing on their skills in sculpture, installation, graphic and motion design to create a range of consistently exciting and innovative work, be it building Gundam style battle robots out of courier messenger bags for Crumpler or constructing a 3D string sculpture in a Melbourne laneway for Tourism Victoria these guys are always striving to push the envelope.

In a recent commission for Visa’s ‘Go’ campaign, they suspended hundreds of pieces of miscellaneous computer junk and digital detritus on strings from the ceiling, arranged to magically form the word ‘Go’ in perfectly shaped sans-serif, which really has to be seen to be believed.

If you’re going to be at Semi-Permanent in Sydney tomorrow, make sure to catch them speaking and if you can’t make it down, well, as a close second we’re thrilled to have Tin choosing his favourite magazines for us here…

1. Colors

Colors magazine was conceived by graphic designer Tibor Kalhman and photographer Oliviero Toscani. Admittedly it’s changed a lot since the Kalhman and Toscani days but its still always a really interesting read and I always get from it an understanding and view of the world that i can’t get from anywhere else.

Each issue deals with a different topic: birth, god, race, wealth, toys, trash, aids. but whatever the issue, the message is always the same, the world is an infinitely diverse place, but ultimately we’re all the same.

I really love the way that Colors relies more on images rather then text to communicate. They did an issue a while ago which had no text at all, it took you through a tour of the world using only pictures, it was sort of like a printed version of Koyaanisqatsi, really powerful stuff.

1. Purple Fashion

I really like Olivier Zahm, he’s got his finger in so many pies, and they are all awesome. He use to be an arts curator and his blending of art and fashion seems really effortless, irreverent and most importantly fun.

His magazine Purple fashion can be a bit cliquey though and the same names crop up constantly in every issue (there’s always at least one or two shoots by Terry Richardson and Juergen Teller) but there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that.

The magazine is designed by M/M Paris, and the layout is quite simple, I like the use of the different paper stocks to the define the different sections. The interviews are always interesting and there’s always a good mix of people i already know about and people I’ve never heard of. Lindsay Lohan is on the cover of the latest issue which is awesome and funny so soon after her disastrous collection for Ungaro.

2. Uovo

Apparently Uovo means egg in Italian, which could seem a bit like an obvious analogy for an arts publication (if you speak italian) or really cryptic if you don’t (like me).

It explores the world of contemporary art through articles, interviews and images, and at nearly 500 pages per issue with no ads, it’s a really serious hit of contemporary art! It also comes with an audio CD full of weird and exciting sounds. It’s sort of like a printed more in depth version of VVORK with words.

3. Acne Paper

I love this publication. Each issue draws it’s inspiration from one key idea and brings together content from now as well as the past, there is something really nostalgic and romantic about Acne Paper, but it doesn’t come across as old or tired at all.

The latest issue is about art and spirituality and has an incredible shoot by Paolo Rovesi with an almost un-recognizable Tilda Swinton dressed as Marchesa Casati, there are also Interviews with Alejandro Jodorowsky, Orlan and David Lynch where he preaches about the benefits of Transcendental meditation (of course).

The design is classic but playful, which describes the content well, it mixes high culture and pop culture, past and present in a really fresh and dignified way, it’s full of really lush images but unlike most fashion/art magazines it doesn’t seem flashy at all.

4. Doing Bird

An awesome Australian magazine full of local and international content. I’ve still got the first and second issues which are ten years old now but they still look completely fresh.

The design hasn’t changed a whole lot in that time, it’s clean and simple without being boring. The ads are kept to the front and the back and there aren’t too many so the images and content have a lot of room to breather, and there’s no break in the continuity which is rare for a fashion/art magazine. Doing bird comes out twice a year and is always a reliable fix for australian and international fashion, art, illustration and writing.

Sometimes it’s hard not to gush too much when writing these introductions, but we absolutely love Becky Smith’s work.  Over the years this pioneering art director has been involved with a number of our favourite magazines from I-D to British Vogue, Wallpaper* and Harper’s Bazaar to founding perennial mag nation favourite Lula in 2005.

A fashion magazine without being a catalogue, Lula is rarely described without using some combination of the words ‘dreamy’, ‘whimsical’ and ‘ethereal’ but perhaps more important than that particular aesthetic, it has carved out a style that’s a bold combination of indie smarts and high-end glossy appeal.

After almost five years, Smith left Lula in 2009 to bring us the inaugural edition of her new title, Twin magazine. We wrote about Twin when it first came out a few months ago (they’ve only released a single issue so far) and it’s definitely a magazine lover’s magazine; packaged in a large, hard cover book format and some 250 (!) individual covers.

In Smith’s own words, Twin is “more grown up, versatile and stronger” than Lula, and is definitely one of those rareties that is dripping with both style and substance.

And while issue number two isn’t due out until May, we’re really pleased to have Becky Smith choosing her five favourite magazines, which will hopefully serve to tide you over just a little bit until then.

1. Twen

You can find some old ones online. A German magazine created by groundbreaking art director Willy Fleckhouse in 1959. Fleckhouse was mainly a typographer, however he really allowed the photography to do the work and ran them BIG! And, graphically, the grid was constantly present.

2. The Face

I grew up with this magazine, my old boss Robin Derrick art directed on it with Neville Brody. Two of the best art directors… It just perfectly encapsulated what 13 to 25-year olds were feeling about music at the time. It was at its best in the beginning – in the early ’80s – and it introduced me to writers like Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons and photographers such as Juergen Teller and David Sims.

3. Vogue (French edition)

My favourite of the Vogues. I can’t read a word but it doesn’t matter… the photography, the styling, the models. C’est tout…

4. Dumbo feather, pass it on

Just purely for the genius name. I’ve read a few ideas on the theory of why it’s called that… Something to do with the elephant I like to think.

5. Interview

Again the old ones were always the best, but I also like the current mag – especially the Craig McDean shoot with Kirsten Stewart. I also like the old covers of pop icons like Dolly Parton, Madonna, Diana Ross etc. The fact that it also featured illustrations by Warhol means it just can’t be beaten.

If you know anything about mag nation by now, you will undoubtedly know that we adore Frankie.

Frankie is the original thinking gal’s guide to everything that’s good in fashion, music, craft and practically anything else for that matter. You know a magazine has made an impact when it becomes part of common parlance…”that is just so Frankie” now holds meaning for a very broad demographic.

Far and away one of our biggest sellers, we’ll often get mums coming in to buy a copy for their daughters as well as one for themselves (not to mention the odd male fan!) Harking back to the glory days of the sadly, long-defunct Sassy magazine, Frankie’s broad ranging appeal stems from the fact that it’s not afraid to be a unique and inspirational voice.

So, for this edition of ‘My Top 5 Mags’, we’re absolutely chuffed to bring you Frankie’s editor, Jo Walker to tell you a little bit about some of her favourite magazines…

1. Bust Magazine

This is the first magazine I ever read that I felt truly ‘got’ me. Spawned in the heady, riot grrrl days of 1993, it’s full of rad music interviews, craft, indie-cool fashion and homewares, celebrities you can actually look up to (they were heading up the Tina Fey fan club long before you or I had ever heard of her) and smart-arse opinion pieces. Basically it made feminism cool again.

Bust is clever, cute, and always a bit grungy around the edges. I think of it like the wise older sister I never had who was into L7 and Bikini Kill in the ‘90s, wears retro glasses with op shop shirts, and still goes to gigs every Friday night while hubby sits at home with their adorable three-year-old called Nugget, or something equally rock ‘n’ roll.

The founding editor, Debbie Stoller, went on to launch the Stitch ‘n Bitch movement with books of the same name and practically created nu-craft. She is basically my publishing idol. Also, I wish I could crochet as well as her.

2. Adbusters

Even though I’m sure founder Kalle Lasn would hate to be lauded by a sell-out, corporate-media running dog stooge like myself, I admire the hell out of him and his mag. Alongside ‘No Logo’, Culture Jamming was practically my bible at uni and Adbusters continues the tradition of playful political subversion he started 20 years ago.

On first flick it’s the ‘subvertisements’ that get you (regular ads creatively hacked by activists and design nerds), but I also love the first-person stories from little edges of the world I know I’ll never travel to, the feisty research pieces on geopolitics, social democracy and environmentalism, and the expert panellists they get in to discuss their take on the state of the world.

The only trick is managing to read it while sipping on a Diet Coke (bad multinational!), sitting on your IKEA sofa (soulless, big-box capitalists!) or waiting in line at Coles (mega retailers killing small business!)

Aside from that, Adbusters is basically the Banksy of magazines. I hope it takes over the world.

3. Love

Here’s another editor whose career I’d like to steal. Katie Grand used to be fashion director at the sadly missed The Face magazine (I don’t think I’m talking out of turn when I call it THE best magazine of all time) and then editor-in-chief at their style spinoff, POP. The fact that she’s married to one of the guys from Pulp also makes me envy her enormously.

So when I heard she was launching a new title, I knew even before I saw it that I’d be in love. And then I saw it. The first issue. Beth Ditto. In the nud. Looking saucy as hot tamales. Swoon.

But wait, there’s more! Inside one of the most cracking covers I’ve ever seen was a labour of, well, love. Reading every little interview and tidbit, you can tell that every single person/style/designer/celebrity/random mime in there (yes, they did a fashion shoot with the street performers who hung out the front of their office) is truly loved and enthused over by Katie and her staff. It’s not cool for the sake of it; it’s not sneering down from some haute couture ivory castle. It just can’t help being awesome.

4. Tokion

Dare I admit that I first came across this gem in a sharehouse toilet? Yes I dare. And I’ll also say that it makes bloody good bathroom reading material.

Here’s another mag that treads the fine line between being cool and being too-cool-for-school. Between being smart and being a smarty pants. They manage to cover cutting edge art, fashion, design, culture and rock ‘n’ roll without the sneering, ‘we’re better than you’ vibe of an NME or a Vice. And I love them for it. Let’s face it – these days, who can deal with the angst?

Also, unlike a lot of mags these days (and especially good if you’re planning on taking it to the smallest room in the house), Tokion is a BIG read. BIG interviews. BIG features. Even though I love design (and this mag is ace at that as well), I am, not surprisingly, a word person, so this is a big plus for me. They don’t scrimp on text. No sirree.

Best story ever: when they smuggled a journo into North Korea pretending he was a movie reviewer attending the Pyongyang Film Festival. Great pictures. Great insight into the country. Great piss-taking of Kim Jong-Il.

Two thumbs up.

5. Vanity Fair

Alongside Newsweek and Time, this is my all-star, number-one-with-a-bullet airport and plane magazine. Light and fluffy enough for early morning flights, but with enough substance to get you through an unexpected layover and/or trip from hell.

Admittedly I could do without the Tatler-esque NYC high-society hobnobbing they’re always banging on about, but I suppose that in itself provides some Gossip Girly type escapism at 5am while you’re sitting on a tarmac waiting forever for ‘the last pieces of luggage to be loaded’.

Just like Tokion they love a BIG, long-play profile piece. And they’re always intriguing. Just picking up the nearest issue I can reach in my bookshelf, they’ve covered Obama, Spinal Tap, Peter Jackson and Marlene Dietrich. What’s not to love about that?

The other big reason to pick up VF is the writing of one of my personal journalism gods: Christopher Hitchens. Sure he went a bit crazily right-wing during the whole Iraq War thing, but that doesn’t stop his first-person account of learning to run on a treadmill any less hilarious. Devestatingly articulate fat man with unconvincing combover trying to be The Biggest Loser? Surely that in itself is worth the price of admission.

If you’ve paid any attention to the state of design in the last few years, then you’ve almost certainly heard of our latest participant in this on-going feature where we ask some of our most admired publishing identities to single out their five favourite magazines.

Jonathan Zawada first popped up on our radar a couple of years ago doing record sleeve design for The Presets (with whom he later won an ARIA award for the cover of their album Apocalypso) and since then has been involved in a mind-boggling array of diverse projects from art direction for Pop magazine (with collaborator Shane Sakkeus), to the world’s first fashion… comic, Petit Mal and more recently, Tru$t Fun! a line of digitally printed fractal pattern silk scarves which, to be honest, are way better than the idea sounds.

In between all of this, he’s collaborated with The Selby, drawn incredible hand sketched record sleeves for Perth-based electro sensations Canyons (recently signed to the DFA), designed a t-shirt for Urban Outfitters, morphed together dolphins and fighter jets into multi-coloured psychedelic phantasms for a K.I.M. record sleeve design and generally worked on a number of fascinating and fun-filled projects which are characteristically imbued with a sense of humour and wonder.

If you hadn’t guessed by now, we’re really thrilled to have him here to let you know a little bit about his favourite mags. Over to you, Jonathan…

I’m not a big consumer of magazines, to be honest they’ve always made me feel like I wasn’t quite good enough! Here’s my top 5 that are so good that I get over myself…

1. Dot Dot Dot

This is by far and above my favourite magazine and the only thing in my life that I’ve bothered to commit to subscribing to. I’m not even sure if I’d call it a magazine really, it’s more of a journal.

Their website describes it thus;

“Since its conception in 2000 DDD has immatured into a jocuserious fanzine-journal-orphanage based on true stories deeply concerned with art-design-music-language-literature-architecture and uptight optipessimistic stoppy/revelatory ghostwriting by friendly spirits mapping b-sides and out-takes”.

I think it initially started in the Netherlands but it seems to exist entirely independent of place and time. They cover any number of topics in any number of incredibly interesting and clever ways and more than any other thing I’m aware of, both its content and it’s methodology have shaped the way I approach all my work.

2. 032c

This is a Berlin based magazine and to me is the magazine format perfected. They manage to roll art, politics, fashion, design, science and just about anything else you can think of into a perfect package that treats everything with an equal respect that places it all in an interconnected framework.

It doesn’t talk down and it doesn’t talk too far up either, it’s just extremely well put together and although the subject matter may be quite considered it hasn’t succumbed to the sort of aloof sterility of similar magazines like Monocle – it still has a very human personality. Both 032c and Dot Dot Dot do something that sets them apart from almost all other magazines for me, they ignore the idea of “new” and simply focus on interesting.

3. Self Service

This one is a pretty obvious choice. It gets my vote as being the perfect fashion magazine. It’s design and art direction is impeccable and that’s what helps it become just as much the object of desire as the clothes and people contained within it.

This magazine taught me a hell of a lot about art direction when I was just starting out and its responsible for having created a ton of other copycats out there – not just me.

4. Paradis

I don’t know much about this magazine, I just know that I love it. It’s kind of like a learned “gentleman’s” magazine. Everything about it is immaculate, I guess its sort of the men’s version of Self Service.

5. Lodown

I never expected to like this magazine as much as I do because the culture it represents isn’t really a culture that I see myself as a part of. What’s great about it is that it seems to have managed to avoid ever getting stuck into having an image of itself that has to be upheld.

I met the editor of it one night in Berlin and was absolutely staggered to find out that producing the magazine really only consumes a small portion of his time, the rest of it is spent working as a commercial graphic designer, djing and doing any number of other projects.

He’s one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met too which just makes it all the better!

There are a few magazines that we stock that really seem to define the heart and soul of what we do… those kindred spirits that sum up just about everything that we love about niche publishing. Sydney-based publishing sensation Dumbo feather, pass it on is definitely one of these rare few.

Founded by New Zealand-born Kate Bezar in 2004 (after a short career in management consultancy of all things!) Dumbo feather is devoted to singling out fascinating people and asking them to tell their stories in their own words. Five years and twenty issues on, Bezar’s quarterly ‘mook’ (it’s a bit book, it’s a bit magazine… geddit?) continues to feature inspiring interviews with a diverse and consistently amazing range of people.

Last week, we launched a new feature on this blog where we ask some of our favourite mag folks to choose their favourite magazines and tell us a little bit about them (with Erica Bartle from Girl With a Satchel). This time, we’re really excited to have Dumbo feather’s own Kate Bezar on board for round number two…

1. SoHi

This lovely mag comes out of the Southern Highlands of NSW and is all about recognising and exporting the “creativity of all SoHi dwellers, of all ages and all persuasions, with that creativity expressing itself through food, architecture, craft, and interiors.”

It’s really well-designed and put together by some very clever folk; Rebecca and Julian Wolkenstein (he’s a superb photographer we’ve used for Dumbo feather and she’s, well she’s got her fingers in so many creative pies it’s ridiculous yet highly admirable) and Sarah King who once had a great design store called Arp in Tasmania. Loved the first issue and really looking forward to numero 2.

2. Apartamento

I only possess one copy of this Spanish mag (produced in English … they still need a good proof-reader), but found it SO refreshing.

At last a mag for those of us who love to indulge our curiosity about how others live, but like to read about real people rather than celebs. The images are unstyled, shot without artificial lighting and raw. Top shelf stuff.

3. Art & Australia

I had dinner with the publisher of this mag last week and was amazed to learn it’s 46 years old … I just find that so incredibly admirable and inspiring. I thought it was a big deal to get to 5 years old!

As much as the mag itself, I also love the books they publish. Their most recent; ‘Current‘  is just awesome. Designed by John Warwicker (who we’ve profiled in Dumbo Feather) it’s ‘the bible’ of artists in our part of the world.

4. Selvedge

Sophisticated, cutting-edge craft for anyone with a passion for fabric, texture, the handmade, the organic, the indigenous …

5. Map Magazine

Last year I was on a panel with Carl Lingren, Map’s founder, and a was blown away by his vision for what media and publishing could (and should) be. That Map has just celebrated its tenth birthday is testament to the fact that others do too.

It’s a local Brisbane street press with the aim of fostering “a culture of confidence, spirit & individuality in people to help them embrace a mindset where they can be positive about the future.” Hoo rah to that.

Map’s always full of the best local and international design bits and great interviews with a strong focus on sustainability. Right up this girl’s alley.

At mag nation we make no secret about the fact that one of our very favourite blogs out there is Erica Bartle’s Girl With a Satchel. Started two years ago by the Brisbane-based former deputy editor of Girlfriend, Girl With A Satchel has been described as “Top Gear meets Media Watch for the magazine industry.” A dose of pop culture and publishing with an undeniably girly slant, Erica’s (award winning!) blog provides a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the world of glossy mags with a real focus on local Australian titles.

It is with great pleasure then, that we introduce Erica as the first contributor to a new feature on this blog where we call on people we admire within the wider publishing/blogging/design world and get them to tell us a little bit about their top five favourite magazines.

Ladies and gentlemen, Erica Bartle….

1. Australian Traveller

I’ve only recently discovered “AT”, as it’s known by readers and staff, and I’m hooked. Its mission is to encourage Aussies to see more of their own backyard, rather than burning carbons en route to Europe. So, with that in mind, I already I like it. Despite its mission, AT doesn’t take its readers for a ride: its commitment to honesty is a big plus.

Reviewers generally pay their own way and tell it like it is, but the notion of the ‘Aussie fair go’ rings true: there’s no poo-pooing for the sake of poo-pooing; generally the critiques are positively framed. And this gives the mag an overall upbeat vibe. The writing is excellent – literary, even. And funny – witty similes and asides abound. The photography and layouts give the magazine a professional, slick appeal. A big, bloody thumbs-up for this little independently published Aussie battler.

2. Frankie

Sometimes I feel intimidated by Frankie because I haven’t read the right books or seen the right films or love the right bands. But I’d sooner be made to feel intellectually inadequate than fat or ugly. So as a young women’s magazine, it gets props for that. The thing I admire most about Frankie is that it introduces us to cool and quirky people every month living their lives seemingly oblivious to the trappings of materialism and mainstream definitions of success. How do they track these people down?

Also working in Frankie’s favour is its reluctance to pay lip service to the mega-brands of the magazine world, its diversity of voices and appreciation of old-school pastimes. It also wins points for nostalgia: if you’re an 80s kid, you’ll dig the references to Winnie Cooper and scrunchies. It’s also not afraid to call Australia home – in fact, it embraces the cultural cringe and runs with it (how bogan can you go?). It’s the Missy Higgins of magazines.

3. Notebook:

I’m putting this one in place of O: The Oprah Magazine to keep the recommendations local. Since ditching the flower vase covers, Notebook: has taken on a sort of O vibe, telling us to do things such as “Find yourself: make peace with the past and become your own person.” To me, that’s a far better calling than finding the hottest heels for under $100, but perhaps I’m showing my age?

Notebook: is edited by Caroline Roessler, who used to be managing editor for The Australian Women’s Weekly, so you can see why it’s going where it’s going. It wants to BE the new AWW. Whether it will knock the venerable old girl off her publishing perch is yet to be seen, but Notebook: will be looking pretty while she tries. And I LOVE an underdog!

Roessler is making Notebook: less homely, more worldly; less “this is how you remove a stain”, more “this is how you keep your husband from straying.” She prides herself on commissioning some of the country’s best writing talent who put their spin on personal matters and social issues. It’s an engaging read. And I secretly LOVE the bookmarks that come with each issue.

4. Vogue Australia

As anyone who’s seen The September Issue would know, Vogue is Vogue. It’s the creme de la creme of fashion publishing. And with that comes great expectations. I often wish that Vogue Australia would do more to champion the causes of Australian designers and retailers (including online retailers) but it’s unashamedly full of itself and prides itself on presenting readers with only the BEST in fashion – which it deems to hail from Europe and America at a stretch. I can appreciate that but will continue to bang on about patriotism until the cows come home to Wodonga.

Otherwise, I adore the magazine’s features – its writers are tapped into the female Zeitgeist and share a similar sensibility to mine – and also the arts and culture pages and interviews with glamorous women whose lives I can never hope to aspire to. Vogue is fashion fairytales for grown-up girls.

5. Girlfriend

Showing complete bias here, as Girlfriend is a former magazine beat of mine. That said, I’m delighted when I get it in the post each month, as it gives me a comprehensive insight into the world of The Teen. And we all know it’s the kids who are setting the agenda, at least in the world of pop culture. Each of the section editors – beauty, fashion, entertainment – has a one-page diary every edition, which I enjoy reading; but probably because it’s like chatting with friends.

Many a teenage girl has a devoted crush on entertainment editor Rob Moran – read his witty, “craptastic” copy and you’ll know why. He’s sort of Pacey from Dawson’s Creek meets Seth from The OC meets Doug (do you remember that cartoon?), with a penchant for flanny shirts, skinny jeans and an old army flak-jacket. Girlfriend is the mag I read growing up and it’s still a mainstay in my magazine diet. Go, GF!