What niche mags know about taste

Fandom matters the most

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Family Style is an independent quarterly magazine self-described as “arts & culture with the taste for more” and “a fantasy dinner party in the form of arts & culture journal.” The magazine, founded in New York, covers fashion, art, design, food and culture. It’s a mix of print editorial, digital content, and live experiences.

Family Style is joined by Serviette, RUSSH, Cultured, L’Etiquette, Konfekt, Polyester. Dirty Furniture, Standart, Little White Lies, Racquet. The Plant, A Dance Mag, Record, Buffalo Zine, Mundial, Notes on Beauty … There are approximately 7,000 new independent publishers per year, adding to the pool of around 50K independently owned print titles in the U.S. according to the American Publishing Association. What unites these magazines is that they are part print, part in-person gatherings, part newsletters - and taste communities all the way.

The mechanism is one of a luxury good: high-quality product, scarce and highly selective advertising, and a close tast community that enjoys a product made just for them. In each of these self-identified taste communities, taste is an activity that engages them more than a casual level. Cultured is a magazine that its founder sees as a vehicle for stylists, photographers, and writers to both get inspired and show off their creativity - an experimental space for tinkering and connection.

None of the independent titles are for those wanting just a passive leisure activity. They require investment of consumers’ attention, time, and money. The more time, attention, money, and skill fans spend on them, the more enjoyable they become. Specific techniques and rituals emerge. Fandom is formed. A vocabulary emerges