The zine’s first-ever guest edit spotlights the cultural icons Jade wishes she had growing up, featuring interviews with Mikaela Loach, Richie Shazam, and more
Polyester is back, and it arrives in the form of the zine’s very first guest-edited issue, handing the reins over to Jade Thirlwall. Maybe you read the words “guest edited” and it instantly raises some suspicions about how much editing the guest actually got done, or if they just wanted their name on the cover, but this time it “couldn’t be further from the truth,” says founding editor-in-chief Ione Gamble. “Jade really immersed herself in the project and used it to not only tell her story, but the story of others too.”
These stories were selected to reflect a media landscape that Jade wished she had access to growing up, featuring women of colour who have inspired her and who continue to push culture forward. In interviews with Chioma Nnadi, editor-in-chief at British Vogue, activist and author Mikaela Loach, model and photographer Richie Shazam, broadcaster Afua Hirsch, and singer Lana Lubany, she explores topics ranging from It Girldom, to climate activism, to the role of artists in changing perceptions of Arab culture.
The collaboration came about through a meeting of minds over the intersectional politics that Polyester has championed since 2014, sparked by the former Little Mix member’s solo career launch earlier this year. “I was so impressed with what I heard, and to hear about what she hopes to achieve going solo, I was immediately in and offered her the guest editor position,” says Gamble. “We share a really similar ethos – it’s been incredible to see how vocal she’s been about Palestine and also queer rights throughout her career.”
Below, Jade Thirlwall and Ione Gamble tell us more about the Jade issue.
Jade, what was it like to guest edit an issue of Polyester?
Jade Thirlwall: It’s honestly been a dream. Ione and all the team at Polyester are so good at what they do. Our views and ethics align on so many things and I knew they would be the perfect collaborators to showcase parts of myself that fans maybe don’t know about me yet.
They allowed me complete creative freedom to feature all the women I wanted in this issue. I was involved in everything from the photography to the zine layout, to the point where I was sad to leave the office! It’s been a true labour of love.
What was your main goal for the project?
Jade Thirlwall: I wanted to use the pages of this zine to celebrate those who inspire me, and whose work speaks to the issues that I care about. We live in a climate that’s getting harder and harder to navigate as a woman, and I’m conscious of the growing disparities between us all.
Hopefully, people will find representation in the images and words – something that I always longed for in the media as a little mixed-race girl. I wanted to create an edit that little Jade would be proud of.
Ione, what do you want people to take away from the issue?
Ione Gamble: I hope people see that just because you’re part of a huge pop machine, you don’t have to sacrifice your beliefs or not speak out for what you believe in. It’s so important to have socially aware pop girlies who aren’t afraid to put their neck on the line, and we’re lucky to have Jade!
The new issue of Polyester is on sale now.