In March 2001 a single paged site called
Stylin (a page about
fashion and style, inspired by my own interest to pursue a career in
fashion design) was created and hosted by AOL's Homestead. A day later that page expanded to two pages and was then being hosted by
yahoo's geocities. From then on it continued to expand and before long
became a full fledged fashion magazine complete with various fashion
related articles, links, hints and help. The name ‘Stylin’ was at this
time modified to ‘Stylin - Fashion’.
However as
the site grew I felt that ‘Stylin’ should be a concept that goes
beyond just clothes. Style comes from confidence and in so many ways the
most stylin’ individuals are those who are stylin' by heart and soul, the
individuals who scratch below the superficial surface and embrace the
essence of reality. With this in mind I introduced the concept
“Stylin in diversity as individuals united”, our mission
statement/ company motto. It is a concept that
reflects on acceptance, respect, and free will within one whole;
consequently Stylin - 2 was added to cater to the other side of what it
means to be ‘stylin’. Stylin - Fashion together with Stylin - 2 became just ‘Stylin’ a comprehensive magazine with limitless
variety. In 2002 I decided that ‘Stylin’ disserved it’s very own
domain name, however stylin.com was already taken and plus I felt the
magazine needed a name that was a little more catchy and at the same time
contemporary. As such www.stylinzine.com
became the official home and name of ‘Stylin’ (Web Host: PowWeb).
The
various other features in StylinZine were inspired by various events and
points in my life. For instance ‘Prudence’ was conceptualized
following the events of September 11 as I felt that there should be a
place to reflect, express and share thoughts and emotions on the things
that happen around us and are at times too shocking to verbalize.
‘Random’ was set up as my personal column reflecting on various things
that appeal to me, simply 'cascading thoughts... ‘(syndicated since
October 2002) Beautiful HellHole’ proved to be a rather therapeutic
page, in terms of poetic expression, as well as open and honest individual
views. Often in life we tend to be surrounded by a wealth of superficial
beauty, when deep down you may be miserable or confined within
unpleasantness. This page was set up for SZ readers to anonymously vent.
Around the same time ‘Sugar & Spice’ was added as a feature, to
remind us that life may not be peachy 24/7 but ever so often it can be.
StylinZine was always intended to be a work in progress with constant
updates, and new features. Since the magazine at this point covered just
about everything it needed a feature on beauty proved fitting. As such ‘Mascara’ was
added as a section on make-up. It was named as such for a simple and silly
reason, that being my childhood fascination with that particular make-up
product. ‘Face’ was introduced as a beauty care slot, and ‘Health
Nut’ joined the ranks to focus on fitness and physical well being.
In addition to two of our other advice columns –
‘Fashion Fixes’ and ‘Beauty Cues’ 'Dear Hana' an advice
column centered around stringing together 'life' issues a popular
addition.
Then came the addition of
our entertainment segment focused on music— ‘Music Bytes’ and
movies — ‘Reel
View’; the features include interviews, reviews, news, and other entertainment
industry buzz worthy dish.
Stylinzine has also branched out into many other ventures including PR.
The focus currently is on being a promotional/publicity source for talented musicians, actors and
authors in the contemporary scene. We also recently introduced a new
segment simply titled 'Books' featuring reviews and interviews of titles
and authors.
The only thing missing (for now) is sports, but we’re
seriously considering it, so stay tuned and drop us a line to share your
input.
SAMYA
F. FAROOQ
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
www.stylinzine.com
