WOW Magazine
On a 2003 visit, a Mexican designer friend tipped me to WOW magazine. I scoured Mexico City stores to find it and bought out inventories when I did. As far as I know it's the only Mexican publication to cover topics like design, art, film, music, politics, culture, and ecology in a glossy magazine format with bold, chaotic graphic layouts. According to Ana Mallett, a member of the magazine's advisory board and a friend of Cool Hunting, WOW disappeared for six months only to resurface a couple weeks ago with a "better than ever" issue that includes a John Waters interview, a look into burgeoning Chinese influences in Argentina, a profile of M.I.A., and a piece about contemporary bicycle culture. Their wide scope and anarchic design can be daunting, but their catch-all approach allows for features like a spread on painter Luc Tuymans alongside a report on AIDS research in Cuba that keeps the magazine feeling fresh and full of energy.
