Over the past five years, Intermission magazine has built a loyal following among those who value impactful fashion imagery. With contributors like Fabien Baron, Mario Sorrenti, Mikael Jansson, Richard Burbridge, Ezra Petronio, and Inez & Vinoodh, the biannual focuses on infusing each issue with content that captures the mood of the moment, from inspiring editorials to interviews with insiders like Pascal Dangin and Dries Van Noten. For the 10th issue, founders and co-editor in chiefs Patrik Sehlstedt and John Scarisbrick embraced an upbeat aesthetic shown on covers with Malgosia Bela, Meghan Collison, and more, and gave their collaborators plenty of creative freedom. The end result is an issue that is bigger than ever before and filled with the kinds of eye-catching visuals that keep fashion fans enthralled. With the magazine set to hit newsstands soon, we caught up with Scarisbrick to talk covers, collaborations, and a return to joy in fashion.
This issue marks a milestone for Intermission…
This is our 10th issue, which is also our fifth anniversary. We’ve managed to do two a year since 2010, and we felt like we needed to do something special for number 10. Patrik and I skipped the Fall issue, and then put all our energy into number 10 for the Spring. We felt Fall was quite gloomy, but then at the shows for Spring, we felt a renewed positivity. We wanted to try to lift [the magazine] up and have more of everything: more joyfulness, bigger designer interviews, more art, and especially more fashion. It became a thick issue—instead of having 130 pages, this issue is now around 240 to 250 pages. I hope when it comes out, it’s like, “Boom!”
Was there a theme you guys were working with in regards to this issue?
The theme was joyfulness, in a sense, but I think that was just a working name—it’s not on the issue, it’s not told. I think the joyfulness is about how we’re trying to see the world, [and] bringing some of the fun and enjoyment back into the business.
There seems to be a great variety to the covers this time around.
We have quite a few this time! So many different girls. We have the big ones, the odd ones, we even have a girl discovered on the street by Zoe Ghertner—[she] found some girl on the street that she just fell in love with. Intermission is about bringing back the creativity to fashion and keeping things inspired and unexpected.
You had Fabien Baron shooting for you again. How did that collaboration begin this time around?
When we first started talking about it with Fabien, I said, “Just go and have fun.” We spoke back and forth for a few months, and then after seeing each other in Paris, he was like, “So what do you think about the shoot?” I said, “Go on. Do as you want and as many pages as you feel.” He came back with a dark and glam-rock series of images over 18 pages. He put these still-life pictures in the layout, blended all together so they kind of filter into each other—we loved it. And with the casting, he just went with who he felt was interesting at the moment. Molly Bair and Julia Bergshoeff are just the girls he felt were right.
In keeping with that creative energy, do you offer your photographers added freedom that they might not have with other projects?
I think the way Patrik and I work is more that we go to the people that appreciate collaboration. With Richard [Burbridge], he said, “I really want to do a beauty story.” And we were like, “Why don’t you do the beauty story that you’re known for, things that you did in the ’90s or 2000s? Just go do what we know you for, what we love you for.” And I think by hearing that from people who you respect, you get great energy.
I really like Amanda's cover.
