“Encounter of words and images” shown by the fashion journal “The Skirt Chronicles” from Paris, inspired by Japanese magazines

“The Skirt Chronicles,” a fashion journal published in March 2017, has grown into a popular magazine that is available in bookstores in more than one hundred countries in just four years since its inception. Unique content explores various fields such as fashion, culture, and literature with an intellectual dialogue and a philosophical perspective with a solid aesthetic eye. The characteristic is that the special feature progresses in chronological order, as its name suggests.

It was launched by three parisiennes. Sarah de Mavaleix is a stylist, and the fashion director of the magazine. Haydée Touitou and Sofia Nebiolo are both co-editor in chief. Past issues featured Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, an archive of historic couture by Pierre Cardin, and Jacqueline Schnabel, one of Azzedine Alaïa’s muses. In commemoration of the release of the 8th issue, “Biotop” launched a capsule collection printed with unpublished photos of “The Skirt Chronicles” from the middle of March. “Japanese magazines inspired us in the process of making magazines,” they said. This time, I asked the co-editor in chief, Sofia Nebiolo, about their love for magazines and the background of publishing “The Skirt Chronicles.”

To represent the content in chronological order.

――Give us a quick bio.

Sofia：Sarah is a stylist, born and raised in Paris, active in various brands, projects and magazines. For her as a fashion stylist, the city of Paris is the most suitable base.

Haydée was also born in Paris and studied history. Currently, she is a translator and poet. Last year, her first book “We Have Been Meaning To” was published. She takes care of a selection of French books for BOOK / SHOP in California under the name Librairie Haydée.

I was born in New York and have lived in Paris for twelve years. I came to Paris to study journalism. Currently, I have a fashion consulting and production agency, and work with several Japanese companies.

――How did the three of you get to know each other?

Sofia：We soon got along with each other and talk over coffee and chat about what’s happening. The three of us have in common inspired by magazines and have a lot of love for them, so we decided to make a magazine together. The goal was simply to create something new magazine that we couldn’t find around us.

――What’s behind the name?

Sofia：A small magazine inspired us from the 1960s called “Skirt,” which Sarah had brought to one of our first meetings. We added the word chronicles to express our way of creating each issue in chronological order.

――How did you come up with the idea to arrange in the edited time series?

Sofia：Initially, we made a magazine in chronological order just because it was an easy way to decide the order of the topics! But also because it allowed us to follow the creation of the magazine in real time. It’s interesting to us to share this with our readers as if we are making a magazine as a result of building up the production little by little.

impressed with the fusion of Japanese tradition, craftsmanship and creativity.

――This size format is also rare in recent magazines.

Sofia：We didn’t want a too big magazine, but something that can travel with us, accompany us everywhere, ready to be taken out whenever we have a moment to read. Our philosophy is based on the “encounter between words and images” as we seek to give the same importance to both.

――How do you develop and choose its content?

Sofia：At the start of each issue, we begin with an editorial content meeting to discuss the ideas and reference materials brought by the three of us. It connects to our current interests, so we often decide on content in a natural conversation.

――In the past, you participated in talk events in Japan, and this time you collaborate with “Biotop” to launch the capsule collection. What kind of impression do you have of Japan?

Sofia：We have a lot of love for Japan. The three of us have traveled to Japan several times and it is a country that brings us a lot of inspiration. In past issues, several Japanese people have contributed to content production. The theme of the second issue was “Encounter between Japan and Italy”!　

I’m impressed with the fusion of Japanese tradition, craftsmanship and creativity. Several Japanese fashion brands highlight these aspects such as “Anatomica,” “Moonstar,” and “Arts & Science,” always inspire us.

――You said the three of you originally love magazines, do you have any favorite Japanese magazine?

Sofia：We like the point of view of some Japanese journals, which have a deep analysis and high accuracy for a specific genre. We have a lot of favorite magazines, for example, “her,” and “Casa Brutus.” Our Family Portrait and Addresses pages at the end of each issue are inspired by content we have seen while leafing through Japanese magazines.

――What are the future prospects for “The Skirt Chronicles”?

Sofia：The magazine has changed since its launch in 2017. We always say that our “child” has grown up and will continue to change and evolve as it is a place of experimentation and sharing. We’ve noticed with this last issue that it’s more adolescent now and allows for experiences that we maybe weren’t so comfortable with before. We have a very collaborative idea for the magazine and extremely grateful for the generosity of our contributors, who are the foundation of our review.

Sofia Nebiolo
Born in Manhattan, she has a background in journalism, having worked for publications such as WWD and Conde Nast Traveler and various independent magazines. Currently, she has a fashion consulting and production agency.

Sarah de Mavaleix
Born and raised in Paris, she accumulated experiences as a fashion stylist at Éditions Jalou and has been working with various brands, projects and magazines.

Haydée Touitou
Born and raised in Paris, she has written for publications like apartamento and double magazine. The first book called  “We Have Been Meaning To” was published last year.