VERONICA SO: REDEFINING ‘GEEK CHIC’
Veronica So is a girl of many talents: editing, art directing, writing, photography and fashion design. Amongst others. Her latest endeavor is a unisex clothing line to run alongside her magazine for the “fashionable futurist”, L_A_N. She speaks about why being stylish and being geeky really aren’t so different.
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “Been there, done that, worn the t-shirt”. Imagine being so enamored with something that the t-shirt simply isn’t enough: you want everything else to match. Well that’s how a lot of people feel about L_A_N magazine. Obviously, generally speaking, you wouldn’t wear a magazine, but once you’ve seen the spreads in L_A_N, you’ll be eating your words. “It’s image-making more than considered editorial design,” Veronica says, describing how her layouts differ from the norm. “It takes a lot of energy and time to get it how I like it.”
Time and effort aside, as far as the readers are concerned, there’s little not to love about the aesthetic of L_A_N. Think muted, psychedelic colour palettes, skewed text that’s only legible from certain angles and fashion shoots set in online video games – all culminating to form an absurdly oversized, A3 newsprint publication.
Since L_A_N is essentially a fashion magazine, the idea of an affiliated clothing line isn’t especially outlandish. The innovation lies in the fact that the spreads themselves form the digital prints on each and every garment. Not only does this mean you can proudly wear the aesthetically appetizing layouts proudly on your chest, you’re essentially wearing readable clothing.
Genius like this doesn’t spring out of thin air: it takes brilliance and hard work. Much more than a pretty face – though she does have one of those, too – Veronica employs her creative talent at the helm of L_A_N as editor and creative director, meanwhile finding time in between to sing in electro band, TEETH, or tackle a freelance writing job. “The only reason I run around like a crazy person doing all these things is because I haven’t actually decided that one thing is enough,” she explains, when asked how she does it. “I need a balance of different worlds to feel safe and productive at the same time – a creative retreat from creative work.”
Grudgingly considering the prospect of an apparently apocalyptic scenario that could result in picking a single career, she lands on something of a compromise: “I do like sitting around, coming up with ideas and making them happen in a really precise way,” she muses. “I think that’s what it is I’d like to do most – creative direction in any field I’m involved in.”
Regardless of what Veronica decides to do, it’s likely to involve two of her great loves: fashion and being a shameless nerd. L_A_N is an excellent example of this, channeling the two together to form a kind of technologically stylized perfection. “I think everyone is capable of being a geek of something,” she says, when asked about her fascination with all thinks geeky. “It’s a sign that pop culture has created something that completely vibes with your outlook, aesthetic and romanticism.” Regardless of everyone else’s potential inner nerd, Veronica has a particularly long history with hers. “I think growing up ‘geeky’ had a lot to do with me having a close relationship with my younger brother and the fun of being able to share similar interests. For example, I rescued a copy of Ender’s Game from a recycling bin on Earth Day only because I thought he would like it – and ended up reading and being obsessed with it myself.”
Anyone who grew up taking an interest in the sci-fi genre will agree that any love as a child can rapidly evolve into obsession. “It’s heaven to be a fan of something when you’re young,” the self-confessed fan agrees. An attraction to the genre was only amplified for Veronica and her brother, since their uncle worked for Industrial Light and Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. (responsible for the Star Wars Saga) that works specifically with visual effects. “My brother and I watched Star Wars a lot [growing up], almost every weekend,” she remembers. “Our uncle had loads of paraphernalia from the franchise, including Yoda masks, art books and novels so it was an easy fandom to fall into.”
Fashion didn’t hook it’s claws until a little later in life. ”Up until high school I wanted to study marine biology and painting,” Veronica remembers. “Only in junior year did I realise I wanted to study fashion and I really had to scramble to learn about designers and sewing. In my last year of high school I made a lot of clothes, a few of which were prom dresses for other girls.” It didn’t take a lot for the link to be made between this fresh inspiration and a life-long career in professional geek. “In my first year at Central Saint Martins I designed a Stormtrooper blaster print bag.” She considers, before continuing, “I was really bemused at how well that went.”
From that point onwards, the sporadic dots between fashion and “geek” were quickly and easily connected. “The semester Episode III came out, my research book was filled with Polaroids of Jedis, Imperial troopers and Bobba Fetts walking around Leicester square the day of the premiere. I realized then that geekdom was timely and affected in a very similar way to fashion.” By the time Veronica had reached her third year at CSM, she had created a playground in which style and geekery could coexist outside the obvious thick-framed, lensless glasses so often affiliated with the term ‘geek chic’. When required to create her own magazine as part of her graduating year, L_A_N was conceptually conceived.
“I wanted to make something for someone like myself: no commercial promises, no professional pressure. Writing about anyone I felt deserved to be written about, but had not been discovered,” she says, describing what she wanted to achieve when she began L_A_N. Over the last two years, she’s managed to produce exactly what she envisaged. “It’s growing in a really honest, organic and cult way – just the way I want it to be,“ she enthuses. “I want my readers to be invested in the magazine – to know that there is an entity out there that has this corner covered. L_A_N moves people emotionally through the imagery, tone and subject matter. I approach it like having one amazing, intense, informative and meaningful conversation with someone I don’t see very often.”
L_A_N’s U.K. stockists are few and far between, a fact, which adds to it’s allure as one of the rare and sought after creatures of the published world. One place they are stocked, however, is at Primitive London, a tiny, tucked away establishment in Haggerston, which possesses a similar magnitude to the publication. “I was invited to sell L_A_N in Tokyo for the Primitive London pop up shop at Candy and decided it was a good time to sell clothes,” Veronica says, when asked where the idea for the line began. “This small collection was especially made for Tokyo, but I’d like to continue making L_A_N <label> to sell online.”
While in most cases, launching a label would involve heavily time-consuming production, the process for L_A_N <label> was fleeting, though the effort and talent poured into it is unquestionable. “The collection was conceived and completed within a month,” Veronica confirms. “The lookbook was planned and designed in a week. I really like intensely fresh ideas coming to life over a short period of time – it completely takes the pressure off.” That’s not to say that she didn’t have help. New York-based designer and fellow CSM graduate, Alexandra Polk collaborated with Veronica on the collection, alongside additional support from Anna Love of Opening Ceremony and L_A_N contributor, Andrej Ujhazy.
“It’s a simple idea that works.” Purely placing the already painstakingly designed layouts onto poly mesh clothing is about as simple as it gets for a magazine-affiliated clothing line, and it’s the fluid ease of the concept that makes it work in terms of both concept and wearability. “I love Jean Paul Gaultier’s Soleil pieces. Those stretchy tattoo tops and dresses with digital prints on them from the 90s,” she says, describing her inspirations. “L_A_N is a magazine so I want it to be about the content rather than complicating the design.”
“I want to produce full L_A_N collections where each piece is focused on one editorial story.” Most avid L_A_N readers will be scrambling for the pieces while they’re still hot off the press, for it’s a lucky few that can already claim ownership, including, but not limited to, those featured in the look book. “The idea was to curate a set of personalities who are L_A_N readers and collaborators and have them wear a piece of the collection in their own personal style,“ Veronica explains. The weird and wonderful creatures that adorn the pages of the look book are in fact fans of the magazine, and every shot is self-styled.
Essentially, once you get hold of a piece, L_A_N <label> is another way of preserving a part of the publication for yourself as a reader. Every part of the brand, from the eerily warped text that fills the magazine layouts to the heavy paper it’s printed on, guarantee to instigate a geek following all for L_A_N.
“I would never print something that couldn’t be kept or loved for a long time,“ Veronica agrees, and with every new accomplishment it seems more likely that she’s created something of a legacy for both herself and L_A_N.
