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All of us longing for a print publication that spoke to - and for - us. Soon, our round-the-table-chats became brainstorms, then editorial meetings; notes and sketches became full-fledged features and photographs, eventually morphing into something tangible, something real - Volume #1 of Perfect Bound, a magazine deliberately named to celebrate the printed artefact. We love the smell of printers' ink, the feel of "proper" paper and having something we can read a bit, put down, then pick up again where we left off. Something that, rather than flashing momentarily across a screen, has longevity, and offers an alternative to screen-swiping, saccharine soundbites and 30-second throwaway content; after all, we grew up on well thumbed issues of Life magazine, read - and made - our own fanzines, graduating to NME, The Face, i-D, Rolling Stone and even National Geographic. Our first edition is dedicated to wildness in all it's forms. Wild swimmers captured in remote, ice-cold waters; anti-nuclear activists demonstrating at Greenham Common; fashion inspired by the rawness of Norwegian forests; a Gambian village transformed by urban street art. Whatever your preconception of wildness might be, we urge you to set it aside and explore our wild. Karena Callen, Editor
After all, the mainstream print media is in disarray, and most of us spend our life glued to one screen or another. People, we're told, don't read any more, and style - not substance - is what counts, along with how many followers we have and how loudly we can shout. But surely, in the current climate of chaos and confusion, when countries threaten to "erase" one another from the map, it's time for new fresh voices to be raised and heard. And that's why Perfect Bound exists. Remember what old Sunday supplements used to be about? They were a source of suprprise, intrigue, inspiration and growth. And that's what we hope you will discover within the pages of Perfect Bound. Volume#1 is themed around the idea of "wildness". We challenged our contributors - photographers, writers, artists and stylists - to interpret the theme of wildness; while some opted for the wildness of nature, others took a "walk on the wild side". They have created stories that explore and deconstruct the meaning of the word wild, whether it relates to people, places, music or literature, while looking at how it can impact and bring lasting and meaningful change to our cultural landscape. Wild is our way to disrupt the universal fantasy of a perfect, curated world and re-engage with creativity, expression, simplicity and authenticity. Take this walk with us and see where it leads you. Daniel Dumoulin, Publisher