Recently at University we were given the task of coming up with an idea for a new magazine. I thought I would share with you what my group came up with:
M A G A Z I N E N A M E : S E C O N D H A N D / R E – B O O T
C O N C E P T: A low-budget magazine that focuses on vintage clothes and clothing found in charity shops. The idea is to show readers how to make second hand clothes stylish and relevant to current trends. It will be an annual editorial, with 10 sections released throughout the year. As opposed to an issue a month, each section will be released every 5 weeks. The magazine will be advertised in secret locations, for example on the lid of coffee cups, in order to make it more exclusive. Once a consumer has purchased all 10 sections from the year, they will have the complete magazine. Each section will be released in chronological order. We felt the idea of each section being released at different times would encourage readers to continue to purchase the magazine as a collectors item.
The magazine could work through the fashions of the 20th Century, with each section focussing on a particular era. It will take styles from a certain decade, for example disco pants from the 1980s, and show the reader how to customize or wear the item o clothing in an up-to-date way, however the magazine will also include current trend forecasts to help maintain its customer base.
T A R G E T M A R K E T: 18 – 40 year olds that are quirky and creative, but do not want to spend too much money on clothing, yet still look stylish. It aims to bring consumers to consider ways of wearing items that they would usually ignore, and encourages the environmental side of recycling clothing.
L A U N C H: “An hour to thrift”. We would set up a number of thrift warehouses across the country. Each person to attend will have an hour to create a complete outfit. Workshops would be provided within the warehouse so that people would be able to customize the clothes and tailor them to their individual style. After the hour is up, the best 3 looks from each warehouse launch would be picked, and the winners would then be featured in the first issue of the magazine. The event would be promoted through social media and various pop-up stores. Charity shops would provide advertisements before the launch.
E X T R A L A U N C H I D E A: Taking inspiration from “The disposable camera project”, we would place various cameras and photo booths in charity shops where consumers would take photos of their outfits, this will then be a feature within the magazine, prompting more people to purchase it if they are featured in this particular section.
P R I C E & S T O C K I S T S : The magazine would be around £2.99, as we would use models found on the street rather than professional models. The entire magazine would be low-budget, but presented in a creative way. It would be stocked by various charity shops such as Oxfam, but also retailers such as W H Smith.
the empty coathanger 