Slow inspiration: interview with the founders of W (e) ave Magazine

Weave is a new Italian magazine, one of those that, against the tide as we like it, invite you to slow down in a world that runs so fast that you do not even realize the direction it is taking.

"W (e) ave is a paper revolution in strong colors, our small contribution to awaken consciences to the sound of beauty - its publishers tell us - was born from the desire to tell stories, to make people discover the wonder of independent, ethical and sustainable fashion in a contemporary, captivating and understandable way. In short, that between luxury and fast fashion there are a lot of shades and possible choices. 

Fashion is a pretext and the language we have chosen to describe a different lifestyle, that is to rediscover the beauty of slowing down, in open contrast to the rapid whirlwind of modern society ".

 

Behind the magazine are three professionals who come from the worlds of fashion, communication, writing and art, Guya Manzoni, Marina Savarese and Valeria Santarelli who told us more about their latest creation.

W (e) ave like weaving, weaving (relations?), But with a parenthesis that transforms weave into wave. What do you want to communicate with this name? 
A wave of renewal made by a network of like-minded and connected people who share values, ideals and missions. 
The name game wants to express just this: Weave come weaving, that is to weave, weave, create relationships and networks made of people, projects, stories of virtuous entrepreneurship: a precious cultural capital that hardly finds space in the institutional media, and which represents instead a fertile subsoil that deserves to be discovered by most. But also w (e) ave, like that wave of renewal that you need to ride, looking beyond and letting yourself be inspired by stories that speak of good practices, innovation and authentic values.

Weave is part of that branch of magazines that inspire and promote a return to manual skills, to doing and to craftsmanship which include magazines such as Hole & Corner or Faire. How did the project come about and the need to create this magazine?
The idea for the magazine was born following the creation of the Sfashion-net.it portal (April 2020), our virtual window on independent critical and virtuous fashion projects selected from Italy and Spain. We came into contact with many interesting realities from the point of view of the product and the values they carry forward (true sustainability, not greenwashing) and we asked ourselves: "How to make them even more visible, leaving the dimension of the web”? 
For traditional magazines these brands are practically transparent (let's say that if they do not have large budgets to invest, it is difficult to give them space); in addition, we have noticed in the last period how sustainability has become a trend, spread by traditional means in a summary and approximate way. Considering that there was no magazine in our country that dealt with 360 ° slow-culture, we combined points, passions and skills and decided to create it ourselves. 

How were the creatives and stories you included in the first issue selected? 
As for creatives and brands, we draw on our network, which is why it is always growing and looking for new projects. Nobody is forced to participate, but it is a possibility that we gladly offer as an advantage of being part of an active and constantly evolving network. 
The theme of Number Zero is "Weaves" and it is from here that we started to find stories that were linked to our common thread, stitching together different topics such as cooking, spirituality, art and virtuous companies. We are curious, attentive to contemporaneity and with an open look on the world. We try to do this: to stimulate reflection, to inform honestly and to open up little-known realities. Thanks also to the precious collaboration of our contributors and partners.

Do you believe that magazines like Weave can make a difference in terms of sustainability and environmental awareness as well?
I really think so. Otherwise we wouldn't have embarked on this adventure. It can certainly help in terms of awareness and dissemination of messages of a certain type. We voluntarily use a pop cut and a captivating aesthetic because our goal is to reach an ever wider audience and lead them to reflect, in a light, understandable and beautiful way, on a different type of approach to fashion and life. Slow… in every sense.

What is the future of the magazine?
As good "surfers" we prefer to sail on sight and indulge the flow, living the present to the full and without making long-term plans, but with an eye open to the future. Now we are working with the Number One and this is already a big step that will keep us busy until the end of the year. And then the two that is not without the three ... and so on. 
The plans also include translation into a couple of languages and the conquest of the planet, but we are not in a hurry 😉