Aside from their must-visit surf shops in both Soho and the West Village (along with a handful of Japanese locations), Saturdays NYC has garnered quite a following for their hefty bi-annual magazine, titled Saturdays Magazine #004. Naturally, it’s been built on the same unorthodox approach that the whole brand is based on. Case in point? The glossy contains no ads, is printed in Iceland, and the cover is always without cover lines or an image. Fresh off the opening of their latest Saturdays shops in Osaka, Japan, co-founder and editor-in-chief Colin Tunstall filled us in on this latest issue. And should you want to get your hands on an issue ASAP, they will be available this weekend at the Saturdays NYC pop-up at The Hole gallery (at 312 Bowery), which runs from Friday, April 10th to the 12th.
What’s the concept for the fourth issue of Saturday NYC?
Each issue is a mix of ideas, people, colors, images, and words, but this one tended to talk more about new versus old. There’s always a consideration of balance between the content, the cover colors, plus the content is half Q&A, and half image portfolios. The only difference in each issue is the contributors.
What’s the story behind the cover’s color scheme this time?
The cover was finished in the middle of winter. When I closed my eyes and thought of a warm sunny day, those colors reminded me of bronzed skin and warm light. I was also at home looking at two boxes; one was a box for a bottle of sake from Japan and another was box of champagne my fiancée’s father gave me. Subconsciously, I picked those same colors.
Which Q&A are most proud of in the issue?
The opening one with [photographer] Duane Michals. My good friend and old college roommate, Panos Galanopoulos, was the one who pulled it together. [Galanopoulos and I] worked together in college on a magazine, which is how we were introduced to Michals, and we’ve been huge admirers of his work ever since.
Who’s your dream interview subject for Saturdays?
Michael Bloomberg. He ran the city for 12 years and saw huge development and change. It would be nice to hear more about that.
Why is Saturdays an ad-free magazine?
The concept was to put some perspective behind our brand. Having other peoples’ thoughts included didn’t make sense. We use this as a marketing concept for the brand; we never intended to make money from the magazine itself.
Where do your magazines sell better, in New York or in Japan?
We sell more of our magazines in the States, although Japan does buy a lot of copies, even though they’re printed in English.
Why are you celebrating the fourth issue with a pop-up shop at The Hole?
People have grown fond of the magazine, and we love having any chance to celebrate the launch. I’ve lived on the Bowery for seven years and I know The Hole pretty well. It’s a great gallery and convenient for us to be able to utilize the pop-up shop to showcase and sell the magazine, separate from everything else that we do.
What else will be available at the pop-up?
We’ll offer a limited selection of Saturdays items and a limited edition print from one of the contributors from the issue, Adrian Gaut. There will be 100 of his prints, signed and numbered.
What else do you have cooking?
I’ve been really busy focusing on growing our collection and adding new categories; accessories, new sunglasses, and footwear. I’ve been staying local with surfing, but looking forward to some trips soon, I hope.
