This issue embodies the tension between being and becoming. The perspectives of our contributors, which span writers, fashion designers, photographers and musicians, colourise this tension by sharing their processes. In many ways these processes grapple with creativity, identity and individuality, and reading them now as a collection of insights, each contribution has played a part in building an issue that humanises and offers confidence to trust in the ever evolving process of personal and professional development.

The theme of this issue, Strange Days, is titled as an ode to the Kathryn Bigelow film as the stories in this issue crystalise moments and experiences of others in the past, yet act as a burgeoning reference point for generations to come. A beacon of inspiration and a testament to my prior comment, is our cover story that pays homage to the work of Japanese designer Kei Ninomiya, who—under the guidance of Comme des Garçons founder and Creative Director, Rei Kawakubo—has developed his own eponymous line, Noir Kei Ninomiya, that reframes and defies conventional ideas in design.

The vast amount of talent that currently exists and the multiple avenues for honing it is bookmarked by the remarkable artists and creatives featured in this issue who personify the state of growth. Musician Kali Malone speaks to her affinity to the organ pipe and the meditative state it requires and synchronistically creates. Founder of experimental record label PAN, Bill Kouligas discusses the power of tangibility and multidisciplinary collaborative experiences, and musician Genesis Owusu speaks of his fast paced journey into the music industry from recently winning his first ARIA award to performing in a Lithuanian prison alongside Yves Tumor. 

Bringing together people and ideas emergent from more countries than any previous issue, to Be Magazine continues to grow as a platform for overcoming physical divides between writers, photographers, and creative teams by curating together ideas, aesthetics and kindred spirits.  

Our September issue features a number of talented photographers, stylists, artists, designers and writers including Lengua, Caire Barrow, Joshua Hourigan, Lucian Clifforth, Diego Campomar, Tim Swallow, Sarah Stenfeldt, Den Villar, Romy Safiyah, Jasper Salomonsz, James Robinson, Ami Morris, Caroline Beard, Yulya Zalesskaya, Shaad D’Souza, T. and many more. Some creatives you may recognise, others are emergent figures in the creative stratosphere but all are worth watching as they continue to evolve into excellence. 

With love, 
Blue