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DAZED

Dazed & Confused has always been about creative collaboration. So, for this special 20th anniversary issue, we decided to give the editorial control to 20 of our favourite past cover stars. We asked them to each choose a cover star for the future, and consequently created 40 unique images for this issue.

Dazed has never been afraid of trying something new. I wanted to create images that weren’t the same as everything else you see on the newsstand – cover shots are typically all about an immediate impact. I liked the idea of doing something subtler, leaving a bit to the imagination, creating some intrigue. It’s not immediately apparent who these cover stars are – you have to look a little more closely to figure it out. When we started Dazed in 1991, it was about creating a platform for a lot of different people,

not just for ourselves. When I look back at all the things we’ve done and the amazing people we’ve brought together over the last two decades, I feel very proud. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked with Jefferson and myself on the magazine and website for their ideas, energy, creativity and belief in our ethos. I would also like to thank my team at Rankin Photography for their continuing hard graft and for helping me make the images in my head come alive. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. Here’s to the next 20 years... continuing to make it up as we go along!

(Oh, and take a look on  DazedTV.com  to see behind-the-scenes films and extended interviews from each shoot.)

contribu tors

Rankin imon Jablonski

Cathy Edwards ave Calhoun

Simon Jablonski is a film and arts journalist who left Derby to study philosophy in London. He has written for several publications including The Guardian, The Independent and The Quietus, and is now film editor of Topman’s online magazine. Simon interviewed Gael García Bernal for the 20 Covers Project in this issue of Dazed. “I’ve been an enormous fan of Gael since I saw Bad Education. In person he’s adorably genial and sharp-witted, and it’s impossible not to be slightly dazzled by his eyes,” says Simon. “Gael also commented that our interview was more like therapy.”

Cathy Edwards has spent the last 15 of Dazed’s 20 years working at the Dazed and AnOther HQ. First doing work experience at Dazed when the magazine was just starting out, Cathy came back as Dazed’s fashion editor after finishing her fashion degree, then moved on to become Dazed’s fashion director and eventually took on her current position as AnOther’s fashion director. She styled Kate Moss for the 20 Covers Project. “Working with Kate is amazing, she’s always instrumental in making the image work. She’s also very open and really lovely to work with,” says Cathy. “Kate’s the best of the best, she always gets it right.”

London-based writer and editor Dave Calhoun, once Dazed’s deputy editor, was on the editorial team back when staff used to queue to use the one office computer with access to the internet. Now he’s the film editor of TimeOutLondon, contributes to AnOther Man and Word magazines and speaks about films and filmmakers on radio and television. He interviewed Tilda Swinton for the 20 Covers Project for this issue. “I never cease to be amazed by her lucidity and wonderfully sideways view of the world,” says Dave. His favourite Tilda Swinton film is Derek Jarman’s TheLastof England.

Celestine Cooney After an idyllic upbringing in the Irish countryside, Celestine Cooney moved to London in 2003 to work for Nicola Formichetti at Dazed. Now the fashion director of the bi-annual Twin, Celestine also contributes to publications such as US Vogue,TeenVogue,VMagazine and Paradis among others. Celestine styled Gael García Bernal and Verónica Echegui for the 20 Covers Project. “Working with Gael and Veronica was amazing, they were both so laid back, really down-to-earth and such a pleasure to style. I would have happily gone to the pub for pints and whisky chasers with both of them.”