Though not Halloween or horror, I think it’s safe to assume that, like me, some of my readers are or were part of the goth subculture. While my shelves are stacked with Fangoria and Rue Morgue, there’s one alt-lifestyle magazine that rivals them in my collection: Gothic Beauty. Debuting in 2000, it quickly became the definitive must-have for the goth subculture—a publication I consistently scoured the racks for during my regular visits to Barnes & Noble or local goth stores.
For the magazine’s 25th anniversary, they are celebrating with an extensive, multi-part interview series. This retrospective reunites the photographers, fashion designers, and models who shaped the publication’s iconic early years, featuring never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from contributors spanning the United States and Europe.
For the magazine’s 25th anniversary, they’re celebrating with an extensive interview series reuniting the photographers, fashion designers, and models who shaped the publication’s iconic early years. The retrospective features never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from contributors spanning the United States and Europe.
The series, which is publishing through December at GothicBeauty.com, features interviews with:
Photographers:
- Kyle Cassidy: The first to shoot a regular Style series for the magazine.
- Laura Dark: Highlighted designers and goth celebrities with her polished editorial work.
- Annie Bertram: Gothic Beauty’s most published photographer, shooting seven covers and contributing significantly to the darkly elegant style the magazine is known for.
- Amelia G and Forrest Black: Shot five covers and helped define the visual language of early 2000s gothic photography through their fashion lighting and vibrant colors.
Fashion contributors:
- Kambriel: Her phrase “finding beauty in the darkness” from her 1994 debut collection is now used almost as shorthand for the gothic aesthetic itself.
- Bibian Blue: The Barcelona-based couture designer whose brand is also celebrating its 25th anniversary.
- DivaLuxe: Her dramatic hair falls influenced the look of the era, and she’s still best friends with her first models 24 years after their initial shoot.
Featured models:
- Drastique: Gothic Beauty’s most published model and Model of the Year award winner.
- Ulorin Vex: Multi-cover model.
- Batty: Cover model and Azrael’s Accomplice designer.
- Vyxsin Fiala: Brought gothic style to mainstream television on CBS’s “The Amazing Race;” her Gothic Beauty Magazine Times Square billboard photo remains framed on her wall today.
The interviews capture a pre-social media era when finding other goths required zines and record stores, when a thousand people packed Philadelphia’s Shampoo club every Wednesday for goth night, and when photographers shot on film and hand-printed in chemical darkrooms. Contributors reflect on guerrilla photo shoots at private airports, cross-country trips to document regional scenes, and collaborations that have endured for decades.
A companion Kickstarter campaign offers a limited-edition retrospective calendar featuring rare archival imagery. Rewards start at just $25 and include the physical calendar, digital versions of past issues, physical copies of recent issues, and the ability for backers to help curate which images appear in the final publication. The campaign runs through December 11. After that, all available Gothic Beauty items will be found exclusively at Zinetastic.com.
Gothic Beauty Magazine is the largest and longest-running goth lifestyle magazine in the world. For the last 25 years, the magazine has covered all aspects of gothic culture, with an emphasis on style, fashion, and makeup. The magazine is released quarterly in both print and digital editions.
