Purple magazine, delectable and collectible
Purple has easily become one of the most collectible contemporary magazines, next to Buffalo Zine, Richardson, and Numéro Berlin. The founding of Purple Prose in 1992 by Olivier Zahm and Elein Fleiss marked a departure from mainstream magazine culture, driven by a desire to create something radically different.
Rejecting the superficiality of 1990s glossy magazines, Purple aimed to support overlooked artists and challenge the demands of advertisers. Emerging amidst the crumbling of social utopias and artistic avant-gardes, Purple embraced independence and sought to activate subtle subversion from within the system.
Embracing a "double negation" approach, Purple navigated the complexities of contemporary society through its magazine, which served as a platform for artistic expression and political commentary. Reflecting the break from 1980s imagery and aligning with the rising artistic practices of the early '90s, Purple became associated with a realist aesthetic and gained prominence in the fashion and art scenes. Despite the changing cultural landscape, Purple remains committed to its original vision, asserting the importance of art as a form of resistance against cultural consumption.
Purple Magazine: 'C'est l'envers qui vous dit la vérité'. Isabelle Huppert / Givenchy cover. And hey: who would have thought that in Liège/Luik/Lüttich (Belgium) of all places?
Contributors to this issue of Purple
Maurizio Cattelan, Anna Dubosc, Mehdi Belhaj Kacem, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Olivier Zahm, and many more.
Fashion photographers
Nobuyoshi Araki, Martin Parr, Juergen Teller, Camille Vivier, Olivier Zahm