GLITCH was born through identifying a flaw in the system, and adopting a willingness to diverge. Fernanda Ondarza Dovali, GLITCH’s founder and editor, faced a pivotal moment during her final year at Instituto Maragoni London, that set the cogs turning in the GLITCH machine. Required to devise a high-level editorial photoshoot, Fernanda found herself challenged by a lack of skills and resources, and turned to the internet for assistance. What she came across was a creative London Exchange, that allowed people to swap and amalgamate their skills in exchange for the commodity of final image rights that would bolster and enhance their portfolios. This challenging experience of synthesising resources into an extensive and multi-talented portfolio base, planted the seed in Fernanda’s mind for a community building magazine; a media platform and hub that showcased the next generation creatives and fostered connections and idea exchange.
GLITCH’s digital community began to be cultivated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, when the festering tribulations of the unfair fashion landscape became even more marked and un-ignorable. Issues with recognition, affordability and accessibility have continually plagued the creative arts, and with the consumerist world on pause, these professionals’ suffering excelled. Despite the interconnectivity we all praise and applaud the internet for, talent is still getting lost in the algorithms.
Fernanda has poured her heart and soul into the tapestry of GLITCH. From a young age she was enthralled by the beauty and magazine industry, pouring over glossy VOGUE covers and borrowing her auntie’s high heels and styling tools to embark on imaginative dressing escapades. Auntie Lisa, the embodiment of a statuesque blonde Barbie, gifted Fernanda VOGUE diaries one birthday, a moment, and treasure that she remembers falling desperately in love with.
As she grew older, Fernanda’s aesthetic creative hunger grew insatiable, and learning more about the digital world and the developing technology, she became further enthralled with the dynamism of digital image making and editing. Her laptop’s touch became her conduit for crafting intricate creations, transcending the boundaries with which the physical world has previously restricted her. Breaking and expanding the realm of design was a gnawing passion of Fernanda’s throughout her early career, and in a bid to become more harmonized with digital tools, she dedicated her focus towards media, marketing, communication and publishing. Enrolling in Condé Nast College equipped Fernanda with the base skills she needed for deciphering the world of magazine, however she quickly realised that her aesthetics deviated from the refined and confined image of the likes of VOGUE. Her multicultural background, nurtured by exposure to five languages and a diverse array of communities, led her down a path of more diverse communication, and it was this that she wanted her venture to be marked for.
“I am steadfast in my guiding principle: nurturing individual voices and ensuring their visions resonate with a broad audience. In the words of a team member, Hira, I am the catalyst for infusing a touch of brilliance into each project, an endeavour that continues to define my editorial journey.”
Armed with the notes from her final year project, Fernanda embarked on curating the GLITCH Magazine’s Instagram account, and building its early community on one quiet lockdown day, from the comfort of her Earl’s Court flat. Surrounded by uncertainty, the risk of success vs failure instilled no fear in her, and she used the project as a beacon of hope to guide her through difficult times.
“In essence, the launch of GLITCH Magazine amid the pandemic was a transformative odyssey. It symbolized my resolve to counterbalance industry norms, my ability to navigate adversity, and, above all, my commitment to nurturing a platform that fostered hope and change for myself and others alike.”
GLITCH Magazine aims to tackle a diverse array of industry problems, from sustainability to empowerment. This magazine is a collectible, a treasured compilation of unseen work, designed as a limited-edition piece and a timeless artefact. What’s more, GLITCH aims to blend technology with the physical in an unparalleled way, adopting a pioneering use of Augmented Reality within its pages, and attempting to cultivate deeper, more entrenched, three-way connections between creator, consumer and brand. This magazine will disrupt the chain reaction spurred forth by money and exclusivity, that leaves the real creators abandoned on the outside, and only bolsters the money hunger power players from within.
“The fashion industry, I realized, is not merely a showcase of talent; rather, it operates as a popularity contest, a facet that doesn't resonate with my values. This prevailing nepotism within the industry motivated me to effect change. I resolved to transform the fashion landscape into a domain where merit takes precedence.” — Fernanda Ondarza Dovali
The ultimate aspiration is for GLITCH to etch an indelible mark as the catalyst for genuine transformation within the industry. The GLITCH team, with the internet at their fingertips, aim to rupture the obstacles, financial, geographical, and traditional, imposed on creators by an antiquated fashion system. Our contributors and are a unique breed, bubbling with a rare anarchistic passion, daring to defy conventions, embodying provocation, and wielding untapped power. Our magazine, and the pages themselves, aim to be a rare treasure savoured by few.
Make no mistake, GLITCH isn’t for everyone; it’s a sanctuary for those intimately acquainted with the toil, sweat, and tears it takes to thrive in the industry. It beckons professionals who’ve journeyed to the pinnacles of success, imparting their insights to guide the generation that is architecting the industry’s future. In our grand vision, GLITCH will emerge as a steadfast source of motivation. Our team is a collective who are strong and focused on this vision, a team who work propelled by a pointed a zeal to do something irrevocably different. These is the GLITCH genetics, this is the story of our being, this is our first prized print magazine, we present to you, straightly, frankly, and passionately our core DNA.
Written by Hebe Street from GLITCH Magazine
Words from Fernanda Ondarza, Editor in Chief of GLITCH Magazine
