Cyber Teenage Dreams Come True at OKgrl
The new online fashion and music platform breaks the rules with style
As teens chase screens for regular doses of endless entertainment, most traditional glossies feel outdated the second they hit the stands. But there’s that nostalgia and thrill attached to teen magazines that many of us can’t ever forget: from discovering our first celebrity crush, to seeing fresh-faced stars (in sometimes questionable hairdos) before they made it big, personality quizzes, TMI stories and even free Hanson posters. Bringing some excitement and change to the age-old format is OKgrl, an online platform showcasing interactive fashion and music editorials created for a digital-savvy audience (with a sense of humor).
Like its print counterpart, OKgrl has its fair share of Photoshop, stylized shoots and pop stars—but a distinctive feature is the focus on emerging talent who’ve been rocking the digital realm for some time. OKgrl creative director Louby McLoughlin has got two feet deep in the scene and brought together some fiercely glamorous girl power. For instance, we love that PC Music artist Hannah Diamond, who’s one of two “cover girls,” photographed, styled and modeled her own shoot.
“I don’t think anything is lacking in print magazines,” McLoughlin tells CH. “It has its place and print is still king in the world of fashion magazines but, for us personally, we feel that by using the same technology and mediums we have been for several decades it’s impossible for us to make anything new and it’s our job as the creatives to create new languages to speak to the youth. Interactive content is just one way to do this.” With plenty of MS Paint-style activities, inventive design and video (thanks to art direction from DVTK), OKgrl is off to a strong start.
OKgrl makes its splashy debut today online today with a music video for Bip Ling’s “Bip Burger,” fashion spreads featuring Liz and QT, a cereal box game with Kero Kero Bonito and more.
Screenshots courtesy of OKgrl
