Jamie Knowles on Dazed Media because the ‘antithesis to monoculture’

“There’s a sensitivity in knowing how to view things and experience the world that is probably framed differently than if I had studied economics or something,” Knowles explains.

As a part of the Loyalty Art Program crew, he created stories for one of the international’s best artwork creditors. “There’s a small group of around 3,000 people,” he explains. “We would partner with Jimmy Choo or Louis Vuitton, and this was very early on when the art world was becoming a marketing vehicle. That’s so interesting to me.”

After 3 years at Sotheby’s, he used to be poached by means of American Vogue to paintings at the advertising and marketing aspect of its trade in 2013 all the way through, as he places it, a “time of change” for the writer. Back then branded content material used to be “popping off,” and Knowles used to be a part of pitching the ‘100 Ways to Wear Gucci’ project. At the time, the fashion brand’s inventive director, Alessandro Michele, used to be “shaking things up” on the Italian residence along with his artwork path, designs, and promoting.

“However, there was a disconnect, at least in the Vogue team’s perspective, in wearability and understanding,” Knowles explains. “Fashion-interested people may not necessarily know how to put together a look with some Alessandro’s amazing designs.”

At the time, the mission used to be the most important branded content material partnership that were accomplished by means of Vogue. In the ones brief 3 years that he labored for the writer, when Sally Singer used to be nonetheless inventive director, Knowles says that he witnessed the dialog significantly exchange from being print-focused to the entire spectrum of Vogue’s IP.

Stints at ability company William Morris Endeavor (WME) within the model department, Mario Testino, and Art Partner adopted. Now, he’s at Dazed Media as its North America managing director, the place he works intently with the writer’s founder, Jefferson Hack.

On touchdown the activity at Dazed, Knowles explains that not anything in lifestyles is linear and describes the instant as an ideal collision of kismet occasions. At the time, he used to be running at Art Partner, the place most of the artists at the roster had been common participants to Dazed. There used to be, and nonetheless is, an overly shut, symbiotic dating between the 2. For instance, Imruh Asha, now model director at Dazed, is represented by means of Art Partner.

Dazed mag used to be based by means of Hack and the photographer Rankin in 1991 whilst the 2 had been scholars in combination on the London College of Printing. Now, the Dazed Media group has workplaces in New York, Los Angeles, and is headquartered in London.

Knowles displays that he has a passion for running with British manufacturers and that there’s a distinctness that comes in conjunction with that because of the United Kingdom’s proximity to Europe, but final culturally distinct. This makes approach for a novel place to interact each European traits and American popular culture with an insider-outsider viewpoint.

“That’s what makes Dazed a megaphone for youth culture,” he provides. “We’re still an independent company and we’re not necessarily encumbered by a conglomerate mentality.”

Knowles places a large number of that right down to the founders nonetheless being round however being “open to change” and having a willingness not to be too “precious” to do issues a definite approach.

“Jefferson was editor in chief, and when he turned 30, he recognized that perhaps he was not as dialed into the scene as he perhaps was at one point,” says Knowles. “Having that ability to rethink your role and then bring in a new vision for the editorial team in particular, and opening up the keys to the kingdom, takes a lot of self-awareness,” he provides. In 2022, Ted Stansfield used to be introduced in as editorial director.

Knowles explains that at Dazed Media, roughly 70 to 80% of the paintings, in particular in the USA, centres on natural technique, creativity, and cultural intelligence. The group additionally boasts an in-house manufacturing crew, enabling it to ship really end-to-end answers throughout technique, inventive, and manufacturing.

“We have a 30-year legacy from the editorial side that you just can’t manufacture overnight,” he provides. “We are youth culture and for us, entertainment is how you capture share of heart and share of mind and build brand love.”

He explains that Dazed understands that there’s steadily an inclination to talk right down to younger Gen Z audiences. However, it’s vital to acknowledge that they normally already perceive the context at the back of the references an inventive company or studio would possibly draw upon. In maximum circumstances, they require some distance much less rationalization or schooling than one would possibly think.

As an company, Knowles states that it’s been “wrestling with the massive change” that is going down with AI within the inventive industries and the way it can grow to be a device for inventive collaboration whilst nonetheless keeping up human connection.

The managing director stocks the studios trust that we are living in an technology of shared tastes, concepts, and contexts, however it is the nuance and individuality that make humanity and artistic areas really particular.

He explains that Hack sees Dazed because the “antithesis to monoculture” and that this counterculture angle does not truly exist anymore. At Dazed, Knowles targets to create paintings that resonates now and into the long run. It’s about dreaming giant, pushing purchasers past their convenience zones, and serving to them faucet into emotions or communities they may not have traditionally attached with, no longer by means of reinventing them, however by means of evolving them in daring, significant techniques.

“The rules have been hacked largely through TikTok,” he continues. “And the hype cycle is probably not sustainable the way trends pop off and then disappear.”

Recently, the crew has been running with Smirnoff to assist them with the inventive path in their two-year partnership with singer Troye Sivan. There’s additionally paintings with relationship platform Hinge that concerned about plot twists.

A favorite marketing campaign, Knowles dives into, is the studio’s paintings with Tory Burch starring actor Sydney Sweeney. He says that there’s an surprising twist to that marketing campaign this is rewarding, and it ended in 14 million perspectives at the advert proper after season two of Euphoria debuted.

Knowles says that there’s such a lot inspiring heritage inside of Dazed, however there’s a definite “humbleness” they usually steadily don’t shout from the rooftops about the whole thing, probably stemming from its British roots.

“When we are working with clients, usually they are looking to shake things up a bit,” Knowles says. “Or be dialed into culture in a different way, where they haven’t really been able to figure it out in the past.”

Like this tale? Read our interview with Loewe’s leader advertising and marketing officer Charlie Smith.