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| Reposted from @thekeiclub with permission. |
I got published in a magazine under my own name for the first time and I am so stoked! Issue 1 of ‘Kei Club’ has been released and everyone is already raving about it. Finally, a print magazine about the more western kawaii fashion community. It’s about our brands, our icons, and our stories. Callie and Kat were nice enough to send me a free digital copy so I could be up-to-date with everyone else while my physical copy fights its way through the Australian border. Thanks to their generousity I am able to present to you this review of ‘Kei Club’ in which I explore what the magazine did well, what the editors could improve upon, and how excited I am about the future of this magazine!
First of all, what was my involvement?
I wrote an article called ‘5 Ways to Refresh Your Wardrobe for FREE’ where I made suggestions on how you can make a wardrobe feel less stale by decluttering you closet, doing outfit challenges, or repairing or tweaking items in just the right way. I will not factor the written words of my own article into the review because of the obvious bias but I would like to talk about what the process was like for anyone else who is also looking to contribute in future issues. If you’re just here for the review, you're welcome to scroll down to the next heading.
It started when I saw Callie’s Instagram post announcing 'Kei Club' for the first time and calling on people to contribute using the form on their website. Of course I was overjoyed by the possibility of being published in this magazine and applied straight away, linking this blog and pitching an article about how a culture of enforced positivity negatively impacts the kawaii fashion community. After a week of anxious anticipation, when I was starting to believe that the editors hated my idea or it was too controversial or they just didn’t like my blog content, Callie responded to my prodding messages on Instagram and directed me to a group messenger chat with them and Kit. The editors revealed that while they love my original idea, they wanted to save it for Issue 2 to feature it in ‘MATCHA’, a reoccurring segment focusing on thoughtful discussion of controversial topics within the j-fashion community. In addition to that, they still wanted me to contribute to Issue 1 and I was of course giddy with excitement. I had ten days to write a publishable article of about 500 words, but because I was on uni holidays without anything better to do, I had it written, polished, and peer reviewed in only three days. I also had the opportunity to write my own author bio, plug my blog and Instagram, submit a picture, and then it was in Callie and Kit’s hands from there. Not only did I get a wonderful opportunity to be published, but I also got two new friends out of it and I am incredibly grateful. ‘Kei Club’ is intended to cultivate a community, and I felt like a community member just by contributing.
As much as I love this magazine and love being a part of it, I feel like I owe it to Callie, Kit, and you, my darling readers, to provide an honest review. Please note that any amount of criticism is of equal or of lesser importance to the praise I am about to rain on this magazine.
What did I think of the design?
I confess that I am no graphic design expert, but I love love love the graphic design! I love the sugary sweet design, I love the logo, and I love the vibrant pastel and jewel-toned colour pallet. Unfortunately I think the cover was too busy. Most magazines have been moving away from the style of cover with all the bits and pieces showing what you can expect in the magazine, and since this is a magazine primarily distributed online and not having to fight for your attention on a news stand, I think it's unnecessary. Let the cover speak for itself rather than overload it with detail.
The art was amazing, as expected, with my favourite artists being Bublegumgrrrl, Ota-Q, Bunny Honey, Geen Jones, Julie Brashear, Sugary Symbiote, and Mahou Pop. Callie’s comic parodying the “Whack!” vine is the exact type of thing I hope to see more of in future issues. All the art was bright, colourful, and most importantly, utterly adorable! I highly recommend purchasing the magazine and perusing its vibrant pages yourself.
What did I think of the content?
I really liked the MATCHA segment and believe it will be the thing I look forward to most in each magazine. This is because we really need more spaces where we can talk about the not-so-great parts of the j-fashion community so we can improve upon them. In this issue, O-Kei! Podcast hosts Hayden and Kamilah spoke about the cultural appropriation in j-fashion communities. While the podcast episode on this topic mainly focused on how Japanese fashion communities were appropriating African American culture, this article focused on how western communities tend to appropriate or put Japanese brands and influencers on these pedestals. They also discussed the difference between appropriation and appreciation, as well as culture and subculture. I would gladly recommend the magazine for this article alone.
I also enjoyed the section with Creep-P but think that there could’ve been a stronger angle. It was sort of just about him and his inspirations which is fine because he is a truly unique and inspirational individual. Unfortunately it’s also pretty overdone that all j-fashion interviews are only ever about their style and inspirations without much in-depth exploration. What if they delved deeper into the connection between his fashion and his music, or talked about the significance of juxtaposing monster elements with kawaii style, or the barriers he had to overcome as a tall LGBTQIA+ male with an unsupportive ex-friend? Something like that would add a bit more depth and uniqueness to the article. The angle of friendship in the article about Meci and Jasmin was definitely clearer and stronger, and I enjoyed the article slightly more than Creep-P's as a result, but it also has some room for improvement as it tends to meander away from that focus every now and again to talk about ideas that could have stayed, but been tied closer to the overall angle of friendship. I think all these creators are amazing, inspirational, and unique. It was fun to read all about them, and the articles are still written well, but I care about ‘Kei Club’ so much that I want these articles to be the best they possibly can be.
Other content featured in the magazine included horoscopes, a DIY, a quiz, and a kawaii finds section. I personally would prefer if the kawaii finds section had a greater focus on inexpensive small business finds rather than focusing on stuff from big corporations. People often struggle to find inexpensive small businesses to support, and even though it would take more research to curate such a list on a quaterly basis, I think readers on a budget would get more value out of knowing that they can support a small business without much cost rather than settling for unethically made accessories or unhelpful plastic trinkets from Target and Walmart. This is my personal opinion and you're free to disagree, but as someone who believes in bringing the kawaii fashion community back to its small business and DIY focused roots, I felt like this needed to be said.
While the DIY featured in this issue isn’t one I would try myself, I still think it was super duper cute and it looks so simple and easy. The pictures and instructions seem clear and easy to follow, and it could be a great way to reuse some of the cute bits and bobs from old jewellery. If you ever attempt this craft by recycling or up cycling materials, please tag @sustainablealtfash on Instagram and I will gladly feature you! DIYs are just what this community needs to return to our more ethical and sustainable roots and I cannot wait to see and maybe even do future DIYs.
To sum up
Every page of this magazine was a fun experience, including the advertisements. It’s so pleasing to the eye and my kawaii little heart. I believe that if ‘Kei Club’ has piqued your interest at all, definitely consider buying it. It’s very evident that everyone who has contributed to this magazine, especially Callie and Kit, have put in so much effort. This is a magazine that I want to see grow and improve. If you're looking for a new j-fashion magazine to enjoy, join the Kei Club today, and maybe even contribute an article, interview, or some art. I look forward to seeing your work!Have you read the first issue of 'Kei Club' yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below or on social media.
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