Berlin-based I Love You magazine is one of those publications that makes you feel darn good-- especially if you’re a woman. The blog-inspired publication of Christiane Bördner is filled with interviews with independent female creatives, surprising fashion shoots, and sprinklings of inspirational quotes. Ms. Bördner just wants you to feel good about yourself and to find ways to block out all the other stuff. Not a bad printed crusade. Check out my recent interview with Christiane:

Gillian Tozer: I Love You is now in its fourth issue. How has it evolved since its inception? What do you feel has remained constant?
Christian Bördner: I never had a digital blog before the magazine; I just started with my printed version. I began researching fashion blogs in 2008 and became fascinated by readers being interested in one person’s point of view-- that of the consumer. So the idea for my magazine was born. I wanted to do something very personal, with the same emotional and naive spirit, but printed. I love magazines and I prefer to see beautiful images printed. In issue No.1, we started with the idea of a very personal, emotional point of view-- but just a glimpse of what it might be. From issue to issue, the idea of what we want to say and show is becoming clearer. What has remained is the spirit and the attitude we've had from the beginning.

GT: I Love You is all about the beauty of being a woman. For you, what is the best thing about being a woman, and the most trying?
CB: The best thing about being a woman? We have high heels and far better clothes! Just kidding. What I like about women is our ability to empathize and our social skills. The most trying thing is the pressure to be the most beautiful girl at the party, or being afraid of wrinkles. Women are judged by their beauty and not by how smart they are. This is very annoying.

GT: How do the quotes and aphorisms contribute to the dialogue and editorial flow of the publication?
CB: I believe in positive affirmations and I wanted to bring the spiritual into the world of design and fashion without it being "hippie." I get a lot of emails where people tell me they cut out pages, frame the quote and make it their mantra. Can you imagine how satisfying this is for me? The images are very powerful in their statement, but the quotes reinforce them.

GT: What picture does issue No.4, The Superwoman Issue, paint of the woman?
CB: On the back cover is a quote from Revolver (2005), a film by Guy Ritchie. The quote infers that we are all approval junkies, that this is our common addiction and we are begging for the approval of others. I wanted to talk about this inner conflict that each of us women has, but in the context of fashion. We all ask, “Am I beautiful enough, am I good enough, how do I compare to others?” I want people to find their inner acceptance. I want to encourage them not to wait for the approval of others but to love themselves.

GT: I am intrigued by the cover shoot by Marcus Gaab. What was the concept behind this?
CB: Marcus is my husband and he is sitting next to me on the sofa. Let me pass you over.
Marcus Gaab: I approached my friend Jo Ratcliffe, the illustrator from London, with the general concept of Christiane's magazine. We tried hard to avoid the classic, cheesy body-painting clichés, so we decided to take the illustration idea one step further and actually paint the illustrations on the girl’s body. We aimed to create a new, sexy idea of styling.

GT: What's written in the stars for the next few issues?
CB: The next issue, coming out in September, is going to be a wedding/princess issue. It will be very pink and all about the fascination of being a princess. Later on we might have a color-theme issue and a mom issue, but I am not 100% sure yet!

I Love You is available at Opening Ceremony New York and online.
Dimensions: 24x 33,5cm
Paper: Munken rough 90g, cover 300g
10.000 copies
Staple binding
Printed in Berlin.
Next issue to be released end of September.



FILED UNDER: i love you , christiane bordner , marcus gaab , gillian tozer , jo ratcliffe , magazines