TALK’s fourth episode with Purple Magazine’s editor-in-chief, Olivier Zahm.

This episode is jam-packed with so many topics! Dana and Olivier Zahm discuss what art is, some of the difficulties that come with creative work during quarantine, his disdain for 80’s fashion, how Purple came to be, and what you should do with your personal brand. Zahm, having founded Purple in 1992, is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to art, fashion and culture.

Zahm was working as a struggling art critic before he ventured into the world of creating magazines. In 1987 he found himself in New York traveling with his girlfriend where he had the opportunity to use the city as an artistic medium, meet creatives and give himself a little more credit than had previously been afforded to him. He’s quoted in an article by The Cut saying:

So there was little, tiny, tiny circle that I knew, or people told me to meet. And I immediately enjoyed and understood that contemporary art was totally part of everyday culture in America. That it wasn’t just an extension of art history, it was art today. You know? In Paris, we always need historical legitimization. If you don’t know every artwork of Marcel Duchamp you can’t be an art critic. There’s a feeling of a sense of freedom that New York gives you because you can create a fiction in New York. You can recreate yourself, and also there’s positivity and excitement for what’s new.

Zahm has never gone with the status quo and searches for the true meaning in art, society, and cultural movements, he has even been described as “anti-fashion,” or “counterculture”. When he publishes something in his bi-annual Purple Magazine, his readers never quite know what to expect, but they know Zahm has gone out of his way to follow the chosen theme until he’s found what he’s really looking for, something raw and real with no desire to fit in. Zahm has never shied away from publishing things through his unique lens which is one of many reasons why Purple Magazine has withstood the test of time.

Why TALK loves Olivier -- Olivier works with the best, publishes what he likes, and doesn’t care what you think. His authentic style shows in all of his work and he’s not afraid to publish things that may offend or shock the public - better yet he’s been doing this since the early 90’s so his unique take on art, fashion, culture, and society goes beyond what traditional magazines offer us and you know he’s the real deal.

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