Worn Fashion Journal

About

The word “fashion” shares the same roots as “fasten” and “facilitate,” and it once meant something along the lines of “creation by means of bundling and tying.” In the last 50 years or so fashion has come to be synonymous with “trendy.” Styles go in and out of fashion. Worn is determined to root through the archives, debates, and gossip to discover the lasting value of clothing and style in its past, present, and future.

Worn discusses the cultures, subcultures, histories, and personal stories of fashion. We strive to embody a place between pop culture magazine and academic journal. Worn opens new avenues in art and fashion theory by hovering where these two ideas intersect, connecting with fashion scholars and artists. We pay attention to how what is worn is made, interpreted, transformed, disseminated, and copied.

Worn Fashion Journal is published twice a year (once in hot weather, once in cold) out of Toronto, Canada. However, our content is not time or location specific. Since we do not report on trends or promote the newest items on the market, our content is as interesting and relevant today as it will be five years down the road. Although we love and support Toronto fashion, we include content from all over Canada and the rest of the world. Worn hasn’t missed the fact that there are scads of fashion magazines out there. But we feel something is missing: opinion and intelligent commentary that’s untainted by advertisers’ demands.

Are we feminist? Yes. Are we political? Probably. Are we in love with clothing? Definitely.

Our mission:

To show a wide range of beauty, one that includes diversity of culture, subculture, gender identification, sexuality, size, race, and age.
To offer provocative thought on fashion and aesthetics in an accessible way.
To refrain from polarizing fashion into concepts of “in” and “out,” or “good” and “bad”.
To differentiate between personal style and the fashion industry, and recognize that the two don’t necessarily have to align.
To answer, always and above all, to our readers and not our advertisers.
To celebrate the universal appeal of fashion, outside of time and trend.
To have a sense of humor, but not at anyone’s expense (with the notable exception of our own).

What people have said about us:

“The perfect mix of serious fashion discussion, obscure historical details, and just plain prettiness.”
- sweetsassafras.org

“Books are great, but fashion people are magazine people. Since Vogue has fallen out of favour, fill its spot on your magazine rack with the Worn Fashion Journal.”
Andrew Sardone, NOW magazine

“(Worn) is picking up Sassy’s brainy mantle”
- Nathalie Atkinson, National Post

“Discovering Worn Fashion Journal is as refreshing as trading in sweaty wool socks for liberating flip flops on the first day of spring.”
- Shameless Magazine

“Worn blends the inventiveness of punk rock and the aesthetics of high fashion…Well done” - Zine World

“Worn magazine calls itself a fashion journal. I call it a 44 page f*ck you to Anna Wintour.” - Xtra

“I was enamoured with the personal tales, well researched articles and opinion pieces on a variety of subjects that with some historic or technical string are related to fashion, but are definitely unexpected and in some cases unexplored.” - Susie Bubble