Monday 29 November 2010

Velour Magazine

 
Velour Magazine: Issue 2



























Velour is most commonly associated with a plush, luxurious fabric used in textile; The magazine ‘Velour’ is ironically parallel to this definition. Its presentation and packaging is the immediate association with the word ‘luxury’; the glossy, thick pages compliment the sparse layout of images in contrast to the tight sections of text.
The magazine’s known objective is to
produce a magazine in response to the lack of considered images out there in an attempt to redress the balance.’(Velour Magazine, 2010). The magazine addresses this objective in an interesting, successful way,- with a heavy use of editorials in comparison to shorter one-page features.


The target audience for Velour is particularly niche; with an approximate age range of 20-45, and demographic of ABC1, the publication is specific to both males and females who are predominantly involved in the fashion and arts industry. This is suggested through the selection of features written that lack commerciality or relation to topics more commonly written about in mainstream fashion publications; e.g- An interview with photographer Frank Horvat on his career in photography, and feature on designer Maison Martin Margiela is both exclusive and portrays Velour as a magazine which specifically pursues individuals that will be of interest to its niche audience, as opposed to the mass audience.
Furthermore, the lack of advertisements in the publication suggests alternative motives to most magazines which rely on advertising to assist them financially. There are a total of six advertisements in Velour; each of which relate specifically to the target reader or features within the publication, e.g ‘Le Book’, featured on the back cover of the magazine is a book of contacts produced solely for people involved in the industry, whilst the Vodka and Wine advertisements follow Velour’s Launch Party feature, of which the two companies sponsored.
The use of limited advertisements insinuates the magazine is purely interested in the content of its features and editorial, and consequently the message it delivers to its reader; this highlights Velour’s objective to create a balance between both images and texts, focusing on the intention of the magazine rather than the unnecessary over-use of advertisements notably seen in several publications today.

Velour succeeds in producing a periodical that focuses heavily on its editorial; using a variety of locations, stylists and photographers, it encapsulates a variety of contrasting looks, without using celebrity faces or keeping the styling commercial and ‘in trend’ to the current season. Instead, Velour creates their own trends within the editorials, using current key pieces from exclusive and independent designers; again contrasting with the mass-media expectations of mainstream brands regularly used in commercial editorials.

Velour can be described as a refined and engaging periodical that addresses its select target audience to perfection. It is a unique magazine that addresses interesting topics and creates individual editorials that express a certain rejection of mainstream, commercial magazines. As such, I look forward to Issue 3...

Written by Erica Wright.