So what is MushPit??
Created by two undergraduate students in 2011 studying English Literature and Media, Charlotte Roberts and Bertie Brandes, were sick of reading the same old brainwashing fashion articles, frustrated with seeing the same unrealistic airbrushed models categorised as 'beautiful' gracing the catwalks and being plastered across advert campaigns in today's media. And therefore, this finally gave them the push to bring something relatable, light-hearted and what would be a hilarious alternative to the world of fashion journalism. With this bizarre yet quirky fashion magazine, the girls intended to reach out to a girl subculture that has not been created through social media, but a group of girls that pride themselves in intelligence, normality and originality. Even though their magazine does not include high end or street fashion advertisements and they don't always agree with what's going on in the industry, it does not mean the girls are not interested in it or passionate about fashion. Instead they just put their own twist on trends by creating parodies of mainstream fashion and daringly photograph Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu bags in unglamorous backdrops that are far from luxury, such as toilet cubicles. Their shoots may not be set in a charmless hotel suite in Manhattan like Dior have previously used but somehow the visual contrast between the (high culture) prestige nature of the bag and the (low culture) unhygienic unexpected backdrop work so harmoniously together to communicate a message that high end fashion isn't only accessible to the 'Super Rich'.
Furthermore, the duo fill their magazine with girls dressed in thrift shop bargains, comical confession pages such as 'What Lies you tell in a Sex Clinic', Mean Girls 'Burn Book' inspired content and sections throughout devoted to the enjoyment of previous fashions fads from old copies of Dazed and I-D magazine. Yes boyfriend jeans and 90s grunge boots are still cool.
Progressing from a zine in 2011 to a published glossy magazine in 2014, at times their magazine has been categorised as a rip off of the teen magazines J:17, Cheap Date and Ad Busters but the girls insist their magazine is more relaxed, honest and dismiss any references to Mushpit being 'so tumblr' or a knock off of Miss Vogue.
Furthermore, the two girls are not just responsible for creating their own fashion magazine but also the creation of the unofficial political party 'New Labia'- a political feminist party that intends to get more and more women politically involved, acknowledge current social affairs and to be confident with their sexuality. Bertie and Charlotte even intend to run workshops, events and design their own merchandise to market and communicate their fierce yet playful message even further.
As for their appearance at Raw Print, the duo definitely made me laugh with their eccentric yet realistic approaches to the fashion world and they also showed young girls like myself, that if you follow your aspirations and work hard for them, it can eventually be your reality. I would without a doubt recommend buying this magazine to any girl whose looking for that sense of belonging among real girls in the 21st century, a confidence boost to embrace their own identity, and a push towards doing the things they love to do, whether it be fashion or not! It definitely provided me with this new self-esteem afterwards. Thank you Bertie and Charlotte!
Press for MushPit- Dazed and Confused April 2012
Take a look at their blog on Tumblr!
http://themushpit.tumblr.com/info
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