Back Row Has a New Look

Same content, new design. Plus: merch!

You’ll notice that Back Row looks a little different this week. I’ve said a few times that I intend to invest a portion of subscriber revenue back into this publication, to grow and and further professionalize it, and to expand the scope of what’s possible here. Thanks to the incredible support of paying subscribers, I hired A Good Pear design studio, run by Kelly and Jenna Freitas, to do a visual overhaul of Back Row. I hope you love what they came up with as much as I do.

I told Kelly I saw Back Row as a place that looked at the fashion world from the outside (hence the name, Back Row, where people who are new to the industry would sit at fashion shows). Whereas a lot of traditional fashion media covers it from the perspective of being inside and part of it, Back Row offers a perspective on fashion and culture that aims to feel accessible to anyone, whether they follow and understand the fashion industry and the people who run it or not.

“The logo should feel like an invitation into a fun, non-exclusive conversation,” Kelly said. She strove to make it unique but welcoming, classic but fun (hence the new citrine and light blue accents), and pretty. She also came up with the tagline, “Where outsiders feel like insiders.” I know some of you work in the fashion industry and would qualify as insiders, but I also know a lot of you don’t. I think of Back Row less as the next Women’s Wear Daily than the next great consumer fashion and culture title. With your continued support, I’ll be able to continue to bring that vision to life.

In honor of the rebrand, Back Row is launching merch through Bonfire, proceeds from which will go toward funding and improving this newsletter.

Also in honor of the rebrand, Back Row is launching a Founder’s subscription for $250. Founding members will receive a gift card for $28 to spend in the Back Row store and a signed and inscribed copy of my NYT bestselling book, ANNA: The Biography (you’ll just have to reply to me and let me know where to ship it and to whom it should be inscribed). That’s in addition to the paid subscriber benefits of two posts per week, access to the archive, and the ability to comment and start discussion threads in the Back Row chat.

Thank you for supporting the independent fashion and culture journalism you find here, and I’ll be back in your inbox soon with Back Row’s usual coverage.