Cool Hunting

Neatly solving a toss-up between putting hip-hop balladeer Common (pictured left) or Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd on the cover, British magazine Blag chose both, placing the former on the front and the latter on the back. That kind of casual innovation is the norm for this arts-and-culture tome, founded over a decade ago and produced by twins Sarah and Sally Edwards. The most recent issue features informal interviews with the cover boys (Common's about to embark on a U.S. tour with Kanye West this fall, by the way), as well as with other of-the-moment artists, like Mike Mills and Kenzo Minami. Full of fashion spreads, profiles of up-and-comers, and a few fresh takes on regular magazine sections, like a freewheeling guide to L.A. by local resident Money Mark, the UK import (sans any traditional advertising) is a refreshing twist on regular glossies. The big-name, big-format freedom doesn't come without strings, of course; the magazine features a six-page creative spread created by three artists whom Blag tasked with taking photos using a prominent digital company's new product.