@lillybrada on building Outside Berlin, saying no to AI, and a day in the life as a content creator and CEO
We chatted with our creator Anastasia about her views on AI in fashion, the story behind her publication Outside Berlin, and what she gets up to on the daily.
Q: You’re a writer, content creator, and co-founder of your own publication - where did it all start for you, and when did you know you wanted to build something of your own?
A: It’s much less the fact that I wanted to have something of my own and more of my inability to relax. I can’t sit still. You can ask my boyfriend who lives with me — I’ll tell him I’m going to “sit back” or “take a nap” and about five minutes later I’m up cleaning the kitchen or hemming a shirt. My mind is constantly buzzing, and I love to keep myself busy. I can’t quite pinpoint where or when it started. I’ve always wanted to spend my free time learning languages or painting or reading up on philosophy. When it comes to owning something, I see it much more as the outcome of many, many failed projects as opposed to a desire to start something. I mean, one of them had to turn out eventually, right?
Q: What was the moment Outside Berlin went from an idea to something real?
A: Outside Berlin started off as a little pdf a friend and I would compile for fun. I had a 9-5 I hated and needed an outlet (even though I was already writing my book… like I said, I’m busy!). I reached out to a fashionable friend and asked if she wanted to create a zine to send off to family and friends. I’ll he honest, it wasn’t good. The pages were white, the formatting poor, but it didn’t matter then. It wasn’t until I was sucked into another soul-draining 9-5 that I realized if I ever wanted to escape that job rhythm, I needed to own something, and digital products are it! I tried a bunch of different things — fitness programs, recipe books— but nothing clicked. It wasn’t until I saw a TikTok of Guess using AI models in Vogue, and my aggressive disgust of it, that I realized I had something to work from. Vogue was going to stoop low to save a dollar, but I’m NOT a multi-million dollar business, so I didn’t have the dollar to lose! As a writer myself, I so deeply care about the arts. It seemed natural to try and expand on those things.
Q: What gap did you see in the fashion media space that Outside Berlin set out to fill?
A: There’s a few fashion gaps I wanted to fix.
1. The inaccessibility of fashion. The fashion world is rigid and insular, and I wanted to open my arms to incredible designers and brands.
2. AI taking over art. Like I said, I saw it in literal Vogue.
3. Impossible shopping and sustainable practices! I pride myself of being a pretty good thrifter and someone who hunts down cool, niche brands for the best closet. But I don’t gate keep. Why would I? If there’s a cool, independent brand that I adore, it’s a win/win to help the girlies expand their closets AND help these small businesses flourish by giving them shoppers!
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge in building an independent publication - and the biggest reward?
A: The biggest challenge, I’d say, is twofold. Time is not on my side. I own the magazine, I do the marketing, and I care deeply for it. I have my hands on every aspect of its creation, and it eats up most of my time. The second challenge is my perfectionism. I have a vision for how each page needs to look, the vibe of the articles, the quality of the photographs. I don’t want just a bunch of random articles thrown onto a page — there are so many truly gifted creators who I need to find, and so many readers who expect a certain level of quality with the mag! Obviously, I miss having free time for my crazy endeavors (I need to get back into writing book 2, art, and language learning!) But I can see OB’s growth and impact in the future, and it’s a reward to know that 1. So many people are so passionate about my mission and just adore the magazine and 2. That I can see it, one day, really being what I imagine it to be.
Q: 5. Walk us through what goes into an issue, from concept to release.
A: Oh god. Well, the first thing that goes into an issue is the cover shoot. I come up with concepts and find a team to shoot them, myself. I like to come up with some sort of story. For April, I wanted to see a real runway show, what the models of the 90’s were like AFTER the runway. For June, it was based off a conversation in which the model told me her memories with her mother. Once I have a shoot, I have a “theme” for eveything else to adhere to. I tell the theme to the staff writers (we have some awesome girls with consistent columns every month!!) and then have to research and write a philosophy article, myself. Philosophy professor Adam Goldstein is kind enough to give me multiple rounds of edits. My older sister, Lexie, edits other articles and also goes through monthly submissions that I open, and she selects authors in accordance with the theme. Then, I research and find photoshoots and brands that I want as full page spreads, also sourcing images that fit alongside some of the content in these articles. Once I have eveything complied and edited, I spend about a week putting it all together in the magazine. But what takes up most of my time? Marketing. Videos on videos on videos. I run all the social pages, create content, answer DM’s… yeah, woah.
Q: Is there a piece, shoot, or issue of Outside Berlin you’re proudest of so far?
A: April is my pride and joy. That was the after the runway shoot in a tattoo shop. Not only was that an idea I had conceptualized for a long time and was so incredibly pleased with the results, but the entire magazine fit the theme. The articles were amazing, it has some of my favorite brand and photography features, AND it was the first issue in print. It holds a special place in my heart!
Q: Your favourite brand / designer right now?
A: My favorite high fashion brand is probably Roberto Cavalli. I just love his use of color and texture and the femininity of his pieces. For smaller brands, I find myself frequently shopping from Uniform Person and Kiki the Brand. I have my eyes on 1xBlue and Hulley Hulley. And, if I were a millionaire, I’d buy everything from Chalay store.
Q: Your favourite city?
A: I have different favorite cities for different feelings. I live in New York and I adore New York. I could see myself living here forever. But I love Berlin. I mean, I named my mag after her! I also love Florence. I think I’m a romantic at heart. I told my mom today that when I hit retirement age I want to be on a beach every day and leathery tan and eating fish, olive oil, and drinking lots of red wine by the water.
Q: What is a day in the life for you?
A: I begrudgingly wake up. If it were up to me, I’d sleep 12 hours a night. Then, I have a nice, slow morning latte and something to eat. I’ll run or head to the gym, maybe run some errands like the post office or groceries, and head home. Shower (if I don’t shower in the AM my hair will stay wet forever. Curly hair things.) and then do laptop work. It could be anything from emails to writing articles to resolving DM issues or designing the magazine. A healthy lunch, then I record for myself and the million videos I post on Outside Berlin. I’ll finish up laptop work and by this point my posture is so bad I look like a shrimp! And then I cook. I love home made meals, I love dinner, and I’ll watch a good show or movie with my boyfriend, Zach. Maybe I’m lucky and I’m heading to meet the girls for wine or getting a dinner day night out! Like I said, trying to find more time to be creative with all this crazy magazine stuff. Really, it’s a whole lot of exercise and sitting at my desk.
