TORI WEST TALKS BRICKS, LIFE AND ALL THINGS WRONG
She’s the young woman from the Valleys who is taking on the publishing industry with her straight up honesty and taboo talks. Now London-based having founded glossy fashion magazine, Bricks, Tori West, is determined to start a publishing revolution. You may know her from Disaster zines? Or just from her straight up honesty within the media? Tori West loves to expose all of her insecurities and unlucky in love tragedies, leaving no detail unsaid
Trifonia Asmar Reports
Tori is not your average Welsh glam girl. Quite the opposite. Meeting her for lunch in Old Street, I’m shocked to find she is utterly bare faced and simply wears a oversized black Adidas hoodie, black baggy culottes and scrappy trainers. Announcing she is hungry, she reels off a list of suggestions of where to go. Not recognising any of the niche coffee shop chains she mentions Tori takes my hand and the bubbly Wales-raised girl are I are off.
She loves to talk. Mostly pointing out all the things that she believes are wrong within todays society. There’s no stopping her. First I hear about her achievements and life experiences as she wolfs down her first meal of the day, a chicken and pesto sandwich.
Apologising for the spec of pesto which lands on my lap, she takes me on a trip down memory lane sharing her favourite childhood memories. Unlike many young eight-year-old girls living in Caerphilly, South of Wales, at weekends Tori would find herself sat on her bedroom floor cutting up fashion magazines her mother had bought her as a bribe for doing weekly chores. The walls of her bedroom were covered with paper cut-outs and scraps of tear sheets. Her mother could not understand why her daughter could not just read these magazines. Why did she have to create such a mess? Ripping out the sections and images she liked from her limited collection, Tori would arrange and compile her own series of magazines. For many people their archives of magazine collections are too precious to dissemble, but Tori did not think twice about grabbing her scissors and start snipping away at them. Careless and carefree. The two words that immediately popped into my head when speaking to the young publisher. Unbeknown to the little girl with a wild imagination, this was planting the seed of Tori West’s passion for publishing. In a sense the beginning of her career.
Everything became clearer after testing out Fashion Design at Bristol University. Here, she realised that it was not the blueprint of fashion and art which Tori appreciated, but the expression of conveying the meaning behind the art through visuals. Therefore she decided to waste no time and move to a Fashion Communication course. “All along I have always enjoyed the visuals, the way you can communicate with someone without even saying anything or having words. Images are just so powerful”. And thus Bricks Magazine was born.
Bricks is the unique photography and visual-heavy magazine which enables young creatives to promote their newest work and get their name out into the industry. Wanting to keep and expand her creative community after leaving Bristol University “because I loved the idea of building connections with young people”, Bricks was Tori’s excuse and platform to keep the young creatives in contact.
"Why isn't a 20 year old just as good or better than that photographer who shoots the front page of every commercial magazine?”
Frustrated at the industry for allowing young talent to live in the shadows of those older, Tori begins one of her numerous rants. More powerful than the last. Tori begins: “Why should we be limit our forte?’ Why isn't a 20 year old just as good or better than that photographer who shoots the front page of every commercial magazine?” This is clearly one of many subjects which has gotten under the young editor’s skin. Transfixed by the work of those younger than herself, the 24-year-old used her anger to subtly introduce a magazine which pushed forward many artists career’s. For some, showcasing their work in Bricks lead to having their designs walking down Paris Fashion Week’s runway.
Like a proud mum, Tori jumped at the chance to explain the first moment she realised that the magazine she had created had been successful in helping start a young creatives career. “I remember going into London Fashion Week, and someone I hadn't met before stopped me and asked “are you Tori West?” I was a little freaked out. How did they know my name? Then he explained how I published his work in Bricks last year. A PR agency in Paris had found him through the magazine and asked to represent him. And now he shows at Paris Fashion Week!”
Like many young individuals within todays creative industry Tori admits that she is stuck in a battle with depression. However the knowledge that she is helping out others, kick starting their career is fundamentally what keeps the young publisher doing what she does best. “It sounds daft, but it makes me realise I have a place on this earth because I am helping others. Even if it is getting them job or just helping them speak out about subjects which are seen as inappropriate but need to be discussed.”
Although this is a great achievement, it was not enough. With a list of annoyances still on Tori’s mind she needed a new way to vent even further. Cringing at the thought of what is about to come out of her mouth, Tori squeals as she explains how she views her self as a artist, not just a publisher “I need art to express myself”.
From rubbish relationships to corrupt media, her newest way of vexation is through creating her first of many artistic zines, Disaster. Steamed from a point in Tori’s life where she had finished university and was stuck in discovering what her next step was, the young publisher decided to tell the world all her secrets. Blinded by her love for Bristol during her studies, she quickly discovered there was nothing left for her. It was time to move on. As she sits in front of me, the hyperactive girl had gone. Showing little emotion, Tori starts to explain her past. It all became clearer. “I fell head over heels in love with a guy who turned out to be a domestic abuser, typical. I needed a way to deal with such a horrible situation positively, so I just took the piss out of it really. I made a joke out of all the bad relationship and dates my friends and I had experienced and that is how Disaster was produced.” Taking the last couple sips from her latte, she's back. Full of life she quickly shifts the discussion to her latest project. Tori started to unravel the work behind her latest zine which has got all the media talking, Flaps.
"I made a joke out of all the bad relationship and dates my friends and I had experienced and that is how Disaster was produced.”
Following on from the success of Disaster, the team and Tori are currently in the mist of producing their next editions of zines, Flaps. The yet-to-be released publication talks all things sex. It encourages young readers to view sex in a new innovative way, not leaving all their stories behind close doors. Challenging the taboos of sex education, Flaps celebrates sexual diversity in a artistic fashion. Similar to her previous publication Tori’s main objective is to provide a comfortable community in where young people can talk freely about any subject and not shy away from discussing personal problems which could be seen as too graphic.
With a team documenting individuals and couples naked, whilst asking personal opinions on sex education and body image around the world, Flaps is working towards a 300 page zine to be released early next year. “It is a raw publication which will not use modelling agencies and PRs enabling it to become manipulated by the media.I am so frustrated with the media’s current click-bait approach towards body image sex and feminism. This is our chance to create an honest educational approach to this.” Flaps is ultimately a zine where she talks about all the nitty gritty subjects we blush even thinking about.
You would think creating new content for Bricks and launching Flaps would be enough for anyone to be getting on with, but not for Tori. Asking Tori ‘what next?’ her face lights up. From what she tells me the young girl has a lot more surprises up her sleeve to confront the publishing industry.
Propping herself up on the sofa and letting out a small but LOUD laugh, Tori, reveals to me her latest zine idea: “Dear Tori”. This will be a zine where the publisher turns herself into a mockery of the stereotypical agony aunty. Already receiving help letters from her readers, she couldn’t resist to make this public. Tori promises no limitations, no rules and no filter! She will answer any issue no matter how crude or extraordinary they are. From the person who loves to shock, I feel we need to brace ourselves for what is coming.
As 2pm draws closer, Tori prepares to head back to her office. Before she leaves I ask her to tell me what she believes is the crucial tip for all newcomers which she lives by, her response…”Stop bleeding the fun out of what you love to do by comparing yourself to others all the time and start focusing on what you enjoy most.” So take note, stop following. Be a leader.