BurdaStyle - My Interview with Denise Wild

Last month Burda, the German-based pattern company and parent company of the www.BurdaStyle.com website, launched its first U.S. edition of its popular sewing magazine, BurdaStyle. 

On behalf of F+W Media, the magazine's publisher, I have been granted the privilege of interviewing the magazine's new Editorial Director, Ms. Denise Wild. In addition to her new responsibilities with the magazine Denise is also the new Content Director for the Burdastyle.com website. She bring to both the magazine and website an extensive resume in the publishing arena as the founder of the popular online sewing magazine LoveSewing.com. In addition, she is the founder and owner of The Sewing Studio, NYC's premier sewing school, lending proven expertise in educating people to sew to the BurdaStyle.com website and it's international community of home sewers.  

My interview with Ms. Wild explores the mission of the new magazine and details what readers can expect to see with future issues.  Here is the interview in its entirety:

Linda: My immediate impression of the first issue is it is indeed a blend of both fashion magazine and sewing magazine with both a Euro vibe as well as lots of red, white and blue.

Denise: Fantastic! Exactly what we were going for!

Linda: How would you personally characterize the new magazine? 
Denise: BurdaStyle is the leading fashion magazine dedicated to the sewing enthusiast, whether a new or aspiring sewer or a seasoned pro. BurdaStyle brings you trends, techniques, how-tos, and tips to help you achieve your very best personal style. BurdaStyle is more than just a magazine, it’s a fashion brand: Every issue presents a collection of original BurdaStyle designs plus the corresponding fashion patterns that allow you to DIY. The world’s biggest sewing magazine, BurdaStyle, is available in more than 90 countries in 17 different languages. 

     Linda: What are your chief objectives with this publication?

Denise: Our goal is to provide sewers and DIYers with inspiration, knowledge, and fashionable projects and patterns. We focus on bringing the latest runway trends and styles directly to the reader in ways that they can easily recreate the looks on their own.

Linda:  What magazine would you most compare it to?

Denise: There is no sewing magazine on the newsstands like it at all. So, I would compare it to InStyle, Marie Claire, and Lucky, fashion magazines that focus on educating and informing the reader about trends and also how to take those trends home in a way that’s suitable for them.

Linda:  How would you describe your target reader? – age profile, demographics, psychographics, etc.

Denise:  Our target reader is anyone who sews or has an interest in DIY/sewing and who enjoys fashion. Our readers range from beginner sewers (or even soon-to-be-beginner sewers) to veterans and span every age range. The thing that ties them together is their interest in fashion.

Linda: This is clearly a platform in which to promote all the services Burdastyle has to offer – webinars, videos, patterns, etc.  Aside from what was featured in the first issue, what other services can we expect to see and/or how will these services be further exploited?

Denise: In addition to the magazine, online patterns, and online education, we will be introducing more BurdaStyle books, BurdaStyle classes, and live events, and much more!

Linda:  What key components or sections of the magazine should we expect to see on a regular basis in each issue? 

Denise:  BurdaStyle US is broken into five editorial sections. 

1. Community: Bits-and-bites pages that bring relatability and familiarity to the reader and capture attention with quick reads and easy tips.
2. Inspiration: Trend and product pages introduce the reader to the magazine from a fashion perspective.
3. Fashion: The styled fashion spreads that BurdaStyle is most known for showcase Burda’s very own designs in a variety of beautiful settings. 
4. Project Instructions: The sewing instructions for each of the BurdaStyle designs will be fleshed out and detailed in a way that will make them more comprehensive for the American reader. 
5. Sewing: Technical articles, member project images, and tips provide readers with sewing education, techniques, and ideas.

-      Patterns 

Five fashion spreads per issue (including one plus-size) will be showcased in each issue, incorporating a variety of personal styles as well as a range of sewing skill levels. 20 selected garment patterns from these fashion spreads will be printed on four pattern insert sheets, and the rest of the garment patterns featured in the spreads will be available for download on BurdaStyle.com.

 -       Added value 
BurdaStyle US is full of fashion and style inspirations, community tips and ideas, DIY projects, and sewing techniques, education, and how-to’s. BurdaStyle US features a total of 20 garment patterns that are included as full-size inserts, plus fleshed-out, easy-to-read detailed instructions for every single garment pattern in the magazine (40 total), whether it’s available on the insert sheets or as a download.

Linda:  I am delighted to see the pattern inserts adjusted to address an American customer – English v. German, inches v. metric system, etc. What other updates or adjustments are we to expect in future issues?

Denise: Fantastic! I’m glad you noticed! In each issue (including the premier) we have included (re-written) fleshed-out, easy-to-read detailed instructions for every single garment pattern in the magazine.

 

Linda:  The patterns contained in the magazine are straight from previous issues of the Euro version. Will this be the standard practice or can we expect to see the introduction of new patterns exclusive to the U.S. magazine? If so, when?

Denise:For now that will be the standard practice. Right now, there are no patterns exclusive to any market/country. All 90 countries that BurdaStyle is published in use the same BurdaStyle designs created by the German team at our Burda Fashion Factory.

Linda: In keeping with the Euro model, the pattern inserts are sized up to an American size 14. I realize plus size patterns are also part of the magazine, but given the profile of American women these days is there any consideration to expanding the basic size ranges to include sizes 16-20? 
Denise:  Not at this time. We publish the same size range as all of the BurdaStyle magazines, although we do feature plus-size patterns each issue. We do have several resources available including webinars that guide sewers through grading patterns to make them larger for anyone who doesn’t yet have those skills. 

Linda:  The “make it” section of the magazine is a nice feature but noticed it, too, comes from previous issues of the Euro Burda. Will it continue to be a regular feature, and if so, any consideration to featuring ideas from the many wonderful American bloggers out there that have equally great, if not better, ideas to offer?  

Denise:  Are you referring to the Runway DIY pages? Yes, those will continue to be a regular feature, and for now, we will continue to publish that content as it has been prepared by our head team at Fashion Factory. 

Linda:  The Sewing Studio and Love Sewing.com are prominently featured throughout the new magazine. Could you please explain the collaboration with Burdastyle? 
Denise: We are now sister companies, all under the F+W Media sewing community umbrella. The Sewing Studio is the first and only place someone can take an official BurdaStyle sewing class, and you will continue to see all three names teaming up as we grow to offer everyone a more in-depth sewing experience. 

Linda:  I understand the Toronto location of The Sewing Studio is closing its doors.  Are there any plans to either expand the number of locations of TSS in NYC or elsewhere around the country? Are plans to franchise the TSS concept on the horizon? 

Denise:  There are always various plans in the works.

Linda:  How may we expect to see you expand on the TSS & LS collaboration through the magazine?
Denise: There will continue to be close ties across all brands as we grow. My goal will all three companies is to service the sewing and fashion community in the best way possible with the very best education and with inspiration, close-knit community, and positive encouragement.

Linda: Will the Burdastyle brand classes offered at TSS be expanded to include class versions of the video and webinar series? How will the Burdastyle affiliation change TSS & LS? 
Denise:  We are taking everything one step at a time, but always focused on growth. The Sewing Studio and LoveSewing operate as they always have, we’re just adding more services and doing more cross-over. 

Linda:  I noticed children’s clothing and home décor are not part of the first U.S. issue. Will that be the case in future issues? Or, are there plans to publish a separate magazine geared to them? 
Denise:  We currently don’t have plans to include children’s clothing and home décor in future issues of BurdaStyle US. Our focus will remain on women’s fashion. We are working on ebooks, physical books, and other add-ons that may highlight areas outside of women’s fashion.

Linda:  What overall changes should we anticipate with future issues of the U.S. publication? 
Denise:  We will continue to tweak BurdaStyle US as needed in order to bring our readers what they want and what they love while always honoring the BurdaStyle brand. Readers will continue to see trends, DIY, inspiration, patterns, techniques, tips, and how-to’s. Always wrapped in a beautiful, fashionable package.

The new U.S. edition is now available by subscription. The cost is $14.99 per year.  Here is the link to view the first issue: http://bit.ly/1etmoel