Blanc Noir & Couture: Issue No.9

Topher Adam
and The World Of Dark Beauty
By Rachel Riot
It’s no secret that the fashion industry is an extremely competitive and cut throat
business.
Images of
enraged
designers and
supermodels
throwing
lattes and cell
phones at each
other quickly come
to mind, and in
our modern world
of “fast fashion”,
carefully tailored
pieces that convey
a unique aesthetic
are often forgotten
and underappreciated.
Thankfully,
there is a community
of people that fight against that mentality, and at the
front line of the battle, you’ll meet incredible artists like Topher
Adam. He is the “creative weirdo” (his words, not mine!)
behind the legendary and powerful Dark Beauty Magazine,
and a ruler in the world of underground art and design.
Topher created Dark Beauty Magazine in response to being
criticized by the judges of Project Runway during his audition
in 2010, and the overall misunderstanding of edgier art and
fashion that depicts a different perspective. After struggling
with the many limitations of the mainstream fashion industry,
he shifted his energy toward creating a platform where
unconventional artists and designers could showcase their
work to viewers that would embrace and support it. He
compiled and released the first issue of Dark Beauty Magazine
in August of 2010, and it immediately sold 200 copies.
Since then, Dark Beauty has flourished and gathered a huge
following. Topher describes the magazine as “the ultimate
look book” and a doorway into his creative soul that shows
the public how he perceives the world. To him, Dark Beauty
is the moment that triggers the ‘Ah-ha!’ when an artist or designer
realizes that what they think, feel, and consider to be
fashion, becomes
a reality through
their creations, and
ultimately shows
who they are and
what they stand for
so that the world
will understand
their work.
As an independent
artist and entrepreneur,
Topher knows
the struggles of
releasing your
work to the world,
but his philosophy
to reaching success
all boils down to believing in yourself, having confidence in
your work, and telling your unique story through your artistry.
We discussed the misconception that some artists have
about pursuing their career and starting their own business,
like thinking it will be easy, and that everything will be handed
to them on a silver platter. As Topher explained why that
is absolutely not how things work, he quoted an inspirational
piece of advice he received years ago:
“Someone once said to me, Topher, you can either become
successful tomorrow, and it may last for a few months, or a
year, or a few years, or you can slowly grow in to your success
and blossom, and exist for a lifetime.”
Those guiding words opened his eyes to see how important
it is for an artist to never sell themselves short, and that the
focus of your work should be driven by passion, rather than
money. Topher is very adamant in expressing that Dark Beauty
supports the passion in fashion, not the commercialism.
He emphasized that knowing your value is crucial to your
success, but that value is not always measured in money. An
artist needs to know the difference between working for free
Blanc Noir & Couture | Fashion Xchange Magazine | 41