Anne-Marie Curtis, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Calendar Magazine – the sustainable glossy –, speaks to CF’s Sheena Bhattessa about her remarkable career in the magazine industry.
Growing up, Curtis had a vivid imagination. She loved reading, and, in parallel, was really interested in clothes. Still, her route into fashion journalism “was all quite convoluted – as the best of journeys are”.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS WEEK’S EPISODE
In Episode Three, Season Three, the inimitable Anne-Marie Curtis, Founder and EiC of Calendar Magazine – the sustainable glossy – and the former EiC of ELLE UK, joins CF’s Sheena Bhattessa to discuss her career in magazine publishing. Retracing her years at Wallpaper* and ELLE UK (where Curtis climbed the ranks from intern to EiC), E3 spans topics such as sustainability, balancing creativity and commerciality, what the future of publishing might look like, and more…
To listen to Episode Three, Season Three, in full, visit iTunes or Spotify.
Whilst studying Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent University, Curtis realised it wasn’t design that drove her. Image making and writing were more her bag. That same year, in 1985, ELLE UK launched. The title felt relatable to Curtis; she’d found her magazine. Curtis would go on to intern at the publication in the early 90s, and would later taken on the title of Fashion Director, before becoming ELLE UK‘s EiC (with stints at other notable companies and publications, including Wallpaper*, along the way).
Photography by Connor Ives
After many years in the industry, Curtis has learnt more than a thing or two about what goes into making a great magazine. “You definitely have to have a vision. You have to have a really strong idea of what the voice is, what you’re trying to say and make that feel really unique. But I think even more important than that is, you need a really good team around you,” Curtis notes.
From brave and bold covers, to a September fashion issue dedicated to the topic of sustainability (ELLE UK was the first luxury glossy magazine to do this in 2018), Curtis is purposeful in her endeavours.
This sense of purpose rings particularly true in her latest project, The Calendar Magazine. In the latter part of Episode 3, Curtis expounds the sustainably minded title, discusses the future of print, and examines how the fashion and publishing industries can become more responsible. Tune in now to listen to the episode in full.
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