IN PRINT AND PRACTICE, a LADYGUNN collection inspecting the publishing world by way of the folks constructing it—editors, founders, and inventive administrators shaping tradition from the within.
As Artistic Director and Co-Director of NOTION, Nicholas Douglas helps form a platform the place music, vogue, and identification exist in dialogue—woven right into a coherent story about trendy life. Based mostly in London with a big presence within the U.S., NOTION has grow to be identified for its forward-leaning editorial perspective and distinct visible language, grounded in a dedication to rising and numerous artistic voices.
If you speak to the minds shaping NOTION, it turns into clear in a short time that this isn’t a publication chasing clicks or traits—it’s a dwelling, respiratory cultural ecosystem. NOTION has grown from {a magazine} spotlighting rising expertise into a completely realized world the place music, vogue, and concepts coexist with intention. It’s an area constructed on belief, curiosity, and long-term conviction, prioritizing depth over hype and neighborhood over scale.
We dive into how Douglas’ operates NOTION as a cultural blueprint quite than a standard media outlet. From early bets on future icons to the philosophy behind occasions, partnerships, and print-as-art, this can be a clear-eyed take a look at what it means to construct one thing that lasts in an trade obsessive about the following second.
When you consider NOTION right now, do you see it extra as {a magazine}, a platform, or a cultural world folks step into?
It’s a cultural world first. The journal is one expression of that, however NOTION is absolutely about context – how music, vogue, and concepts stay alongside one another. We’re not simply documenting tradition, we’re creating areas folks can step into and really feel a part of.
What was the unique thought of NOTION, and what has it developed into underneath your path?
Initially, it was about giving rising artists a critical platform early on. That intuition remains to be there, nevertheless it’s developed. Now it’s about discovery with depth and longevity – not simply being first, however being considerate about why somebody issues.
If NOTION had an architectural blueprint, what are the core pillars holding it up?
Editorial integrity, cultural curiosity, neighborhood, and independence.
What does belief imply to you in media, and the way do you construct it with an viewers?
Belief is consistency over time. It’s displaying up, backing tales once they’re not apparent wins, and standing by artists earlier than it’s trendy.
NOTION has spotlighted artists like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Tems early. What do you search for earlier than the world catches up?
Conviction greater than perfection. You’ll be able to often inform when somebody has one thing to say and the self-discipline to maintain going. That issues extra to us than polish.
What’s the distinction between hype and momentum in your eyes?
Hype is loud and fleeting. Momentum is quieter, constructed steadily, and far more durable to fabricate.
What makes you say sure to a narrative, a shoot, or an artist earlier than numbers come into play?
If it feels obligatory. If it provides one thing new to the dialog quite than echoing what’s already on the market.
NOTION has expanded into stay occasions and experiences. What does a NOTION occasion must really feel genuine?
Intentionality. The folks, the house, and the programming all must make sense collectively.
How do you translate editorial vitality into bodily house?
By considering like editors, not promoters. Who’s within the room performing, why they’re there, and what they go away with issues greater than scale.
What does neighborhood imply to you in 2026 as platforms and a focus spans preserve shifting?
Neighborhood is much less about dimension now and extra about alignment. Smaller, engaged audiences who genuinely care will at all times outlast mass attain.
What’s one thing producing occasions has taught you that editorial alone couldn’t?
That vitality is fast. In actual life, you recognize immediately if one thing resonates – there’s no algorithm to melt the reality.
How do you shield artistic integrity whereas participating in industrial partnerships?
By being very clear about our function. If we are able to’t stay editorially current, it turns into more durable. That readability often results in higher collaborations.
When manufacturers like Spotify or The North Face come into the image, what makes a collaboration really feel aligned quite than pressured?
When the model respects tradition as an alternative of attempting to steer it. The strongest partnerships come from belief and collaboration.
Has your relationship with promoting modified as NOTION has grown?
Undoubtedly. It’s extra about translating worth. When the work is robust, the dialog tends to comply with naturally.
Do you suppose the way forward for magazines is digital-first, print-as-art, or one thing else?
Print as artwork, digital as dialogue. They serve totally different functions, and neither replaces the opposite.
What do you suppose conventional media nonetheless will get unsuitable about how folks devour tradition?
They underestimate curiosity. Individuals need depth, they simply don’t need it delivered in a boring means.
What does editorial authority imply now, and do you continue to consider in it?
It’s earned, not declared. Authority comes from style, care, and consistency over time.
What’s your artistic course of like?
Intuition first, then obsession. If one thing stays with me, that’s often the sign.
The place do you go to really feel impressed once more when the trade feels saturated?
Reside music, small rooms, and conversations that aren’t for content material. Actual life resets every part.
A canopy ought to at all times do what?
Nonetheless make sense 5 years later.
