“Some may think we are very different, but we both have a strong affection for communities,” Joffe continues of the tie-up, which is in aid of the magazine’s 30th birthday. “The idea of a family, and core sense of unwavering value.”
The duo invited established and emerging design talents to reinterpret the HELLO! logo on a piece of fashion, art or a limited-edition range, to be sold at DSM London. Proceeds will go to two charities that Joffe and Nixon have worked with for many years – Sentebale, of which Prince Harry is a founding patron, and 7: the David Beckham UNICEF fund – because, Joffe says, “It’s always nice to support a philanthropic project when we have the opportunity.”
Participating designers include Stella McCartney, Molly Goddard, Charles Jeffrey, Ashley Williams, Itchy Scratchy Patchy, Stephen Jones and CHAOS. Each designer will showcase their merchandise on a unique HELLO! newsstand created by set designer Andy Hillman for one week from the project launch on May 9.
So, how did the weekly, celeb-filled glossy end up on Joffe’s radar? It turns out the connoisseur of anti-establishment, conceptual creativity is a big fan, and reads it whenever he is in the UK. “I like that it has an identity and a positivity,” he explains. “HELLO! means the beautiful and happy side of life: inspiration and aspiration.”
His brief to the designers, who are all in Joffe’s DSM family, is rooted in his admiration for the magazine’s consistent messaging since its inception in the late Eighties. “HELLO! has a strength in its branding and message, the logo is so clear that it’s become iconic, and it has always stuck to its values. At DSM we admire strong and iconic logos. It’s been exciting to be the first to play with it.”
So, how did the weekly, celeb-filled glossy end up on Joffe’s radar? It turns out the connoisseur of anti-establishment, conceptual creativity is a big fan, and reads it whenever he is in the UK. “I like that it has an identity and a positivity,” he explains. “HELLO! means the beautiful and happy side of life: inspiration and aspiration.”
His brief to the designers, who are all in Joffe’s DSM family, is rooted in his admiration for the magazine’s consistent messaging since its inception in the late Eighties. “HELLO! has a strength in its branding and message, the logo is so clear that it’s become iconic, and it has always stuck to its values. At DSM we admire strong and iconic logos. It’s been exciting to be the first to play with it.”
His statement that “each [designer has] brought something new and unexpected to the project” is spot on. Within the collection there are phone cases, watches, caps, keyrings, mugs and T-shirts all celebrating the bold red-and-white front cover of Britain’s much-loved weekly.
For Charles Jeffrey, who created a series of tees with fake slogans, it was a straightforward project: “There are a few natural alignments between HELLO!'s visual language and some of our LOVERBOY signatures,” he tells Vogue. “In very simple visual terms, we work with bold colours – red and white features heavily – and from a more design-driven perspective, we also work with the idea of newspaper or magazine headlines as one of our signatures.” His is “a fun line-up”, also comprising berets, keyrings and some jersey pieces with Pictish signs and symbols, because, “doing something that doesn't take itself too seriously is always OK by me.”
Molly Goddard approached the branding in its most literal form: “HELLO! became MOLLY!” she says, recalling the inspiration for her merch: “I thought about having a cup of tea reading HELLO! and needing a napkin for my biscuits.”
Charlotte Stockdale and Katie Lyall of CHAOS also stayed true to its first incarnation: “We love the original logo and thought it was hilarious to turn HELLO! into GOODBYE,” the duo, who still buy the magazine for its “informative and also immensely entertaining” red carpet and royal family reports, explain. As well as a line of phone cases and travel accessories, CHAOS created a mini-magazine in homage to their view of HELLO! as “a window to a world that sometimes you just wished you lived in and sometimes you were glad you didn’t!”
For Charles Jeffrey, who created a series of tees with fake slogans, it was a straightforward project: “There are a few natural alignments between HELLO!'s visual language and some of our LOVERBOY signatures,” he tells Vogue. “In very simple visual terms, we work with bold colours – red and white features heavily – and from a more design-driven perspective, we also work with the idea of newspaper or magazine headlines as one of our signatures.” His is “a fun line-up”, also comprising berets, keyrings and some jersey pieces with Pictish signs and symbols, because, “doing something that doesn't take itself too seriously is always OK by me.”
Charlotte Stockdale and Katie Lyall of CHAOS also stayed true to its first incarnation: “We love the original logo and thought it was hilarious to turn HELLO! into GOODBYE,” the duo, who still buy the magazine for its “informative and also immensely entertaining” red carpet and royal family reports, explain. As well as a line of phone cases and travel accessories, CHAOS created a mini-magazine in homage to their view of HELLO! as “a window to a world that sometimes you just wished you lived in and sometimes you were glad you didn’t!”
George Bamford, who grew up with HELLO! on his kitchen table shares a similar perception of the magazine: “It means going through the keyhole into people’s lives.” He took the logo and put it onto the dial of Bamford’s Mayfair watch – “the exclamation mark really makes it pop!” – and found the colour scheme liberating in its simplicity: “I have a saying... simplify, don’t complicate.”
Stephen Jones also used the logo “exactly as it is, because it’s fantastic, and who would want to change it?” and splashed it across hats because, “I love the idea of a hat saying HELLO!”. The magazine was revolutionary to him, because he had never seen anything like it before, and, he says, “HELLO! is the most fantastic name for a magazine ever! It was a pleasure to be able to put that on a hat.”
Ashley Williams, in contrast, gave HELLO! a new existence on neon-coloured jersey and jewellery. Though she can’t claim she’s still an avid reader, she enjoys looking at who’s gracing the cover in the newsagents: “It’s really iconic, the logo is arresting and they capture cultural moments on their covers.”
It’s Itchy Strachy Patchy’s interpretation that took HELLO! to unexpected new heights: “We’ve been looking for a reason to do an Itchy Scratchy Patchy condom for ages!,” Edie Campbell laughs. “The image that we shot to run alongside the product, and for the packaging, is absolutely hilarious. It’s Christabel [MacGreevy] and I in nurses’ scrubs handing out condoms to anyone with an itchy scratchy patch.”
Nixon’s description of the HELLO! X DSM collab as the celebration of "La Spuma de la Vida", the froth of life, was never more fitting.
From May 9, with a separate online auction for HELLO! at de Pury to attract bids for money-can’t-buy items items, which will raise more money for the chosen charities.
Stephen Jones also used the logo “exactly as it is, because it’s fantastic, and who would want to change it?” and splashed it across hats because, “I love the idea of a hat saying HELLO!”. The magazine was revolutionary to him, because he had never seen anything like it before, and, he says, “HELLO! is the most fantastic name for a magazine ever! It was a pleasure to be able to put that on a hat.”
Ashley Williams, in contrast, gave HELLO! a new existence on neon-coloured jersey and jewellery. Though she can’t claim she’s still an avid reader, she enjoys looking at who’s gracing the cover in the newsagents: “It’s really iconic, the logo is arresting and they capture cultural moments on their covers.”
It’s Itchy Strachy Patchy’s interpretation that took HELLO! to unexpected new heights: “We’ve been looking for a reason to do an Itchy Scratchy Patchy condom for ages!,” Edie Campbell laughs. “The image that we shot to run alongside the product, and for the packaging, is absolutely hilarious. It’s Christabel [MacGreevy] and I in nurses’ scrubs handing out condoms to anyone with an itchy scratchy patch.”
Nixon’s description of the HELLO! X DSM collab as the celebration of "La Spuma de la Vida", the froth of life, was never more fitting.
From May 9, with a separate online auction for HELLO! at de Pury to attract bids for money-can’t-buy items items, which will raise more money for the chosen charities.
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