More or Less #5

With the aim of provoking thought beyond consumer culture, More Or Less Magazine launches its statuesque fifth issue.
Peeling back the layers of consuming on demand, the see-now, buy-now culture that is slowly reshaping global culture, and perhaps not positively, the magazine champions creativity as luxury. Inspired by iconic catwalk looks, photographer Oliver Hadlee Perch shoots our favourite “fake” fashion label, Kezako Paris. Each outfit consists of nothing more than a slick of body paint, whether it’s a minimal Gucci thong, or a classic Versace Warhol print body-con dress, originally worn by Linda Evangelista in their 1991 collection. It’s not just the body that lends itself to become a sculpture, natural elements take on figurative form with a series of specially commissioned land-art sculptures in the wilderness of France’s Luberon National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Shot by Théo De Gueltzl (who also produced the sculptures), supermodel Mica Arganaraz communes with nature and accompanies the sculptures, showing that earthy can be fashionable.

So let’s get down to the knitty-gritty: Crochet, an old craft revived as a new trend, features in a hero story shot by Arnaud Le Jeunie and Robbie Spencer. The story celebrates the beauty of hand crafted knitted and crocheted items, a circular and sustainable alternative to mass production, as interpreted by some of London’s most exhilarating fashion students. But the magazine does not just look at the past for inspiration; there are more young people than ever who’s aim it is to rise up and have their voices heard on the ever expanding environmental crisis. Accompanying portraits by Sam Rock, we spoke with five of the UK’s most insightful young activists, who are aged between 13 and 19. Each one of them has found a different way of pushing forward their cause for a better future for all of us, whether that cause be helping inner-city children connect with nature, or becoming an Ambassador for Action for Conservation and sitting on the youth advisory panel for the Natural History Museum’s urban nature project.

Elsewhere, photographer Mark Peckmezian investigates the taming of the wild dogs of Chernobyl, and we look at the the size of the unexpected carbon footprint from our constant internet usage. Elsewhere in the issue, Duran Lantink, a designer from the Netherlands, is taking apart and reconstructing the meaning of luxury fashion, by approaching his brand differently. Centering his practice around collaboration, he repurposes deadstock and gives new life to old products – truly a sustainable way of manufacturing fashion.

COVER SENT AT RANDOM

More or Less is a new biannual magazine that believes "excess is no longer in fashion". Each issue showcases fashion at a more inclusive price point but with boundless originality. It celebrates style as a form of self-expression, rather than a means to conform to the status quo. It touches upon how we consume, from cost to sustainability. Less is more.