Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1024601
September is not just back to school. It is the beginning of a new year for fashion, art and design. The pressure is high to emerge from summer wiser and inspired. We thought long and hard about how to craft an issue that speaks to the moment. Our break came with our cover story subjects, Virgil Abloh and Takashi Murakami. As the founder of the brand Off-White and the newly appointed menswear artistic director of Louis Vuitton, Virgil ushered in a new era of couture this spring. His creative talents aren't limited to design, though: the polymath is also a DJ and consummate collaborator. We were captivated by the longstanding friendship between Virgil and Japanese superstar artist Takashi Murakami, who has been at the forefront of the art world's obsession with pop culture for decades. In October, Virgil and Takashi's third exhibition together opens at Gagosian Los Angeles. While their hectic schedules would not allow for a shoot together, we photographed Takashi in his Tokyo studio, while Virgil took us around Chicago to his favorite public art works with photographer (and former cover subject) Petra Collins. I flew to Chicago for our shoot on an August morning with a small crew of five, while Virgil arrived on time and alone. His humility and calm were striking. In our cover story conversation, moderated by Cultured's executive editor Sara Roffino, Virgil credits his focus and creativity to being "in the now." At Cultured, we love bringing together emerging voices with legendary talents. This issue shines a spotlight on an intergenerational group of image makers. We were thrilled to catch up with the pioneering photographer Ming Smith. I first met Ming this summer at our June cover party. As Rebecca Bengal writes in her profile, Ming has come a long way since she hand-delivered her portfolio to MoMA in 1975. Elsewhere in our pages, mid-career artists Leslie Hewitt and Jennie C. Jones speak about the role of archives in their work, while young artists Lina Iris Viktor and Texas Isaiah experiment with self-portraiture. Our roundup of young queer photographers shows how up-and-comers grapple with questions of history and representation. Rounding out our issue is our exclusive Cultured commission for which we tapped nature-loving designer Rogan Gregory in advance of his September show at R & Company's expansive Tribeca space. Fresh on the heels of summer events in New York City, the Hamptons and Aspen, we are energized for our busiest season. We hope you'll join our expanding community with a VIP subscription. Sign up now to get exclusive access to Art Basel parties and our tailored itinerary. If you're out in the world, pick up your copy of Cultured at EXPO Chicago, Frieze London and Salon Art + Design and museums such as LACMA, the Whitney, the New Museum and ICA Miami. 54 culturedmag.com In the Now Subscribe today at culturedmag.com In front of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where Virgil will have his first museum exhibition next year; polaroids by Petra Collins from our shoot; Virgil with Alexander Calder's Flamingo. Sarah G. Harrelson Founder and Editor-in-Chief @sarahgharrelson Follow us | @cultured_mag