Cover of Worn Magazine, Issue 3.

Let’s face it: D.C. is not a fashion mecca. While we (you and I, dear reader) may not be part of the unkempt masses which ride Metro in and out of the city daily, the occasional trip to H&M on F Street does not a fashion maven make. Fortunately for us, the folks at Worn Magazine will look past our ill-fitting pleated pants to find the fashion avant-garde in our midst and blog about them. Worn Magazine releases its third print issue today and will party with you tonight to celebrate. (You must purchase tickets in advance.) We caught up with Worn Magazine’s editor-in-chief Nicole Aguirre to talk about the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities, shopping local and good looking people.

Can you tell me a little bit about the staff at Worn? Where do you guys work from? WornMag HQ?

The Worn staff consists of 4 core staff members and two interns. Emma Fisher is our copy editor, Merin Guthrie is style editor, Joshua Yospyn is our photographer, and then we also have a communications intern and a design intern from The University of Maryland and G.W., respectively.

Merin and I work with the interns at Worn Mag headquarters in Adams Morgan a few days a week, and Emma and Josh usually work from home. We get together for complete staff meetings, but Merin and I have more flexibility since we work freelance in addition to the magazine, versus a standard 9-5 job.

We’ve been working around the clock to put together issue 3 and hope to see everyone come out for the Issue 3 Launch Party, April 1, 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. at the Art Museum of the Americas. Tickets are available at Worn Magazine.

Where do you find the pretty people that adorn the pages of your magazine?

Every model that appears in Worn Magazine isn’t a professional model at all, but a regular Washingtonian that we found either through recommendations from our interns, or they’re just people we know who we think would work well behind the camera. It’s important to us to show regular people that you can relate to in our magazine.

We purposely cast diverse models of different colors and sizes, and we also always do a men’s and a women’s fashion shoot each issue in order to appeal to both sexes.

You’ve obviously received positive feedback ever since your first issue — what niche do you think you are filling in D.C. with Worn?

I think we’re filling a fashion niche that appeals to a younger crowd more willing to take risks and express themselves with their clothes. We’re also filling a niche with photographers who are excited to see their work in print and get the freedom to shoot the things they love. Those opportunities seem to become more rare by the minute. Another aspect we’re trying to incorporate is a critical discussion on art. We have the freedom to write about whatever we want, so it makes sense to say something interesting and ask difficult questions, rather than just summarize a show or focus on an artist’s style.

Image by Nicole Aguirre.

How did your partnership with your magazine photographer Joshua Yospyn materialize?

Josh and I met at a gallery opening a few years ago and immediately started collaborating. We were both photographers looking to experiment and find our own style.

About a year later, I did a photography internship at Vanity Fair in New York and came back with the idea for Worn Magazine. I knew immediately that I wanted to recruit Josh for the project, because his pictures were very consistent and I trusted him. He agreed, loving the idea of his photography being published in print. I’m interested in fashion and he’s interested in portraiture, so the combination is exactly what was needed for a magazine such as Worn.

Looking back, I doubt he, or any of us, really knew what we were getting into in terms of the amount of hours, sacrifice and dedication it was going to take to make the magazine happen, especially the first issue. But, three issues later we’ve gotten the hang of it. We’ve also brought on two extremely talented and capable women, so every bump in the road no longer feels like the end of the world.

You’ve been a recipient of the Young Artist Grant Program and the Small Projects Grant. Can you tell me about the support that you have received from the D.C. Commission for the Arts?

I have the DCCAH to thank for giving me my first real boost in creating Worn. I had always planned to move forward with Worn, with or without grants, but their support gave me extra confidence that this magazine wasn’t just my own crazy imagination, but something that others believed in as well. The Commission has always been extremely generous with their time and attention to Worn. They gave me the opportunity to photograph a printed booklet last year celebrating the 32 artists under 32 who won the Young Artist Grant. That was a wonderful experience.

It seems to me that Worn has tended to be a fashion-centric publication with some features on photography. Your upcoming issue features an interviewing with Patrick McDonough, and a piece written by Andrew Wodzianski. Are you making an effort to include more non-photographic visual art?

Worn is a photography magazine with an emphasis on fashion and art. The photography has always been our number one priority, and we express that primarily though fashion shoots and portraiture. The layouts are composed to emphasize the photography. The pages are oversized at 13 x 9.5, so the pictures look huge, and often they bleed off the pages and take center stage. I joke that the picture of Patrick McDonough’s head in this issue is life-size.

The magazine was conceived from the start to always include at least one spotlight on a non-photographer local artist, and we try to vary the types of art we feature. The first issue had DECOY, a street artist, then issue 2 had Clementine Thomas, a theater director, and issue three features Patrick McDonough, who can be considered a conceptual artist. We try to mix it up and expose people to different types of art. The magazine is already super photo-heavy and photographers are already inherently spotlighted, so we try to make a distinct effort to show other types of art.

What else is in store for the upcoming issue?

Issue 3 is definitely our best issue to date. It’s extremely rewarding to see how it’s grown and see the diversity of photography and stories we’ve included in this upcoming issue. I’m so excited to be featuring clothing from over 21 local designers and boutiques in D.C. We put out a call for designers to style the women’s shoot and were totally overwhelmed by the response. It was fantastic. In this issue, we’re trying to show the looks you can pull off by shopping local. Those of you who are suspicious at that thought will be surprised.

There’s also a hysterical article written by Andrew Wodzianski where he breaks down D.C. film festivals from the perspective of a painter who gets his inspiration from movies. Andrew’s quirky personality comes through brilliantly. It’s one of our first attempts at incorporating some direct humor into the writing itself, and I think it works really well.

The men’s shoot is also a feature I’m really proud of. We pulled vintage clothes from local boutiques and shirts from local shirtmaker Hugh and Crye to style five gorgeous African American men. We somehow got guys who I’m sure will go on to walk for Ralph Lauren — but we found them first! Little known fact: Our cover boy, Ramar, is also our communications intern. He wrote me several times over a period of months expressing his interest in working with Worn, and I eventually hired him. His persistence took him a really long way in this case and I’m proud of him.

Tell me about your Issue 3 Launch party extravaganza.

Tickets to the Issue 3 Launch party may be purchased online at Worn Magazine. The Issue 3 launch party will take place this tonight at the Art Museum of the Americas from 8 p.m. -12 a.m. We aimed to make the ticket affordable with plenty of perks: opening up the museum to the public, bringing a DJ and live music, an open cava and vodka bar, and everyone will leave with a copy of issue 3. Tickets are $25.

We picked this museum because it has the most incredible landscaping, views, and architecture and few people have ever visited it. It’s like a hidden treasure in plain sight. You feel as if you’ve left the city when you’re there. You’ll find me at the open cava bar.