Last summer, Central Saint Martins students repositioned their The F Word journal as a new magazine called Platform, with a mission to spotlight BIPOC creatives and their stories. A year later, the journal is back with a new issue in a new form: Its reach now extends well beyond the halls of CSM, featuring talent that spans the entire United Kingdom. Platform is supported by designer Christopher Kane and his sister Tammy Kane, who helped with the zine’s initial launch, as well as FACE (Fashion Academics Creating Equality) and its founder, Pascal Matthias.
The new issue’s sumptuous photography and editorials speak to the breadth of the creativity of this new generation of fashion talents. Kiara Morris, a fashion communications student at Central Saint Martins whose written work Hairy Situation speaks to the discrimination around Black hair, wrote the issue’s editor’s letter: “In the fashion industry our faces are rare, often tokenized while our cultures are appropriated, tarnished, and demonized. But here’s your chance to see the world through our eyes. There’s a huge variety of entries coming your way: Films, photography, and even some poetry on display because our skin and our lives deserve respect, night and day.”