About the Publication

Magazine B is an ad-free monthly publication that dedicates each issue to one well-balanced brand unearthed from around the globe. The magazine introduces the brand’s hidden stories, as well as its sensibility and culture, and is an easy but also serious read for anyone with an interest in brands.

About the Publisher

JOH & Company is a creative company founded in April 2011 by Suyong Joh, former Director of Creative Marketing & Design at NHN. He oversaw and directed the construction of NHN Green Factory, which is the headquarters of NHN, the company that has earned domestic and international reputation as “Google of Korea.” He also created a sensation in the publishing world when he compiled the construction process in a publication, Green Factory. Currently, he leads JOH & Company, a group of creative directors that he has brought together from various fields, and he is conducting complex projects encompassing architectural design, brand consultation, interior, food & beverage service, and product design, based on his own experience. The first fruit of such endeavor is magazine B.

About the Issue

Welcome to the 54th edition of magazine B. Until the 40th edition, this page was written by the publisher, and after that, the task was passed on to the editor-in-chief. Now, 14 editions later, the Publisher’s Note is back. In the meantime, magazine B has taken on some new features. We’ve begun our podcast, titled
“B Cast,” offering audio presentations about brands that have been covered in the magazine. Presenting our well-organized content in a new way through a different medium has been a challenge, but we feel it has been very worthwhile. We are gaining invaluable experience as we learn about the power of audio, which is quite different from that of print media.

Maison Margiela is the brand we are featuring in this edition. The essence of this brand is unlike anything else in the fashion industry. While other brands tend to keep their labels hidden on the inner part of their garments, Maison Margiela has built a unique, readily recognized identity for itself with four little stitches of white thread on the outside of each garment. It has discarded many of the ideas that are regarded as common sense in fashion, reinterpreting things in its
own way. Before we knew it, we had become accustomed to the special Margiela image.

Martin Margiela has traveled an elite course through the world of fashion, and even though he launched Maison Margiela with his own name on it, he has consistently resisted placing himself personally in the limelight. It is a well- known fact that he has always stressed the importance of teamwork, and to underline this, the company conducts its communications with the outside world (formerly exclusively by fax, now by email) signed “Maison Martin Margiela,” rather than with any particular individual’s name. He has resisted the conventions of the fashion market, putting out very experimental designs with a daring flair. Yet he hasn’t been merely provocative or negative; he has garnered the affection of fashion people all around the world, and his establishment enjoys stability and commercial success. Thus, Margiela is a brand that demands our attention.

Also worthy of our attention are the many “Martin Margiela kids” of the industry who learned so much in this “heretical” house of fashion. They are growing on the basis of the inspiration and experience they gained there. In view of this, it is natural that we regard the significance of Maison Margiela as going far beyond its special status as an unusual brand that has achieved commercial success.

In this edition, you will also see that JOH & Company is taking some small steps forward as a team. Also, we hope that those who are leaving JOH & Company for their own new ventures will find that their time with us proves to be the seed of great success.

I’m writing this Publisher’s Note for the first time in such a long time in order to let our readers know that our editor-in-chief, Taehyuk Choi, is leaving magazine B. He has been with us since the very first issue in 2010 and worked on all 54 issues since then. He will be sorely missed. Without his insights and dedication, magazine B would not be what it is today. All of us, especially those who have worked under his guidance, will make every effort to continue the legacy.

Mr. Choi, we hope that the time you have spent with us will remain as a proud memory of satisfaction and happiness. I thank you for your invaluable contributions of time and energy. You will not be forgotten.

Suyong Joh, Publisher