What happens backstage at Vogue Portugal, doesn't stay backstage. Here's your all access pass to the Underground issue.
Poster girl
It's not underneath, but it's in between the pages of this magazine. What? This poster (50cm x 70cm) with an image from the editorial Hide & Seek, on p. 308. To frame, keep or even stick on a wall, where you can write a roar, slogan or demand – or not – as if it were counterculture propaganda. Though it's not: it's just a reminder that Fashion, even that which is not immediately understood on the surface, continues to have this power to surprise, to be beautiful, to innovate. No wonder it has always been associated with underground movements.
Punk’d
Throughout this issue, you will find some references to punk, as it is one of the mandatory underground movements, but you will hardly find these fun facts that the Internet is prodigal to provide. For example, did you know that…
…the original definition of punk, in the 16th century, referred to a “whore”? Then it became synonymous with “homosexual” at the beginning of the 20th century, then “kid” and finally “marginal”. Creem magazine began using the term punk rock in May 1971 to describe a fashion and music that was fast-paced and violent.
…Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, the punk sensation couple, used their son's stencil kit for their designs? The customization and placement of slogans was all done by hand and the kid's coloring kit came in handy.
…Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols bought Vogue to copy the looks? He was the worst fashion victim, said bandmate Johnny Rotten.
Must follow
On Instagram, many underground accounts emerge… literally. The subway as a background has given rise to a lot of beautiful feed that uses the stations and carriages as a backdrop and that fits here, in this issue, quite well. The one who called our attention to this was José Santana, responsible for the cover art for Vogue and editor in chief of GQ Portugal, who, himself, started an account that explores the depths of daily commute. In @blindsubway, he shares some of those frames of everyday life, and in the stories he sets the stage for other accounts of the genre he loves, such as @subwaycreatures and @peopleontheunderground.
Under
A prefix that, says the English language, is used to name what is underneath, what is less powerful or important, what is not sufficient or is inadequate. But what this magazine will show you is that the underground is not only powerful but necessary for evolution, driving society and individuals to change, to update themselves, to go further. Understand? Good. We talk more about this in May I?, on p. 194.
Go around it
But only in the symbol that has become iconic, as usually, it travels underneath and (more or less) straight line... The legendary London Underground logo, that perfect circle crossed by a bar that reads Underground (or mind the gap, the name of a station or whatever – in the end, it will always be identified as the London Underground sign), is almost 160 years old and emerged at a time when, oddly enough, branding was a thing of the future. It was created mid-nineteenth century, but it was the following century that managed to include it in an affair with graphic design, being explored, studied and recognized since then (this is also discussed on p. 74). What do we know, then, about this emblem? David Lawrence explains in his book A Logo for London (2013) that “when the first humans drew the sun, they used a circle. When they sought to build and travel, objects with a circular shape proved to be the most efficient. Location produced circular compasses, and science required circular lenses. Looking at the sky through these lenses, astronomers followed the ancients by drawing circular symbols for various planets and their positions: the center of the sun is shown as a circle divided horizontally by a line. Like a wheel, the circle symbolizes eternity and good luck; appears in alchemy and magic. With wings, it traditionally represents safe travel and has been used that way for many transport emblems.” Mind the gap between your jaw and the floor. #wow
Originally translated from the Underground issue, published October 2021.Full credits and stories on the print issue.
Most popular

A Mango Selection apresenta a sua nova coleção: eis as escolhas de Vicky Montanari
12 Feb 2025

.jpg)
Relacionados
.jpg)
Gracie Abrams em Lisboa: "Foi libertador ser um pouco mais 'barulhenta' nesta fase da minha vida"
13 Feb 2025
.jpg)

A Mango Selection apresenta a sua nova coleção: eis as escolhas de Vicky Montanari
12 Feb 2025