"I love what I do. I'm still obsessed with popular culture — and I want to help inspire the next generation of creatives."
There are very few people in fashion media who can legitimately claim to have shaped culture from the inside out. Huw Gwyther is one of them.
Born in Bath and educated at Monkton Combe School, Gwyther trained at Central Saint Martins — the institution that produced Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Stella McCartney — before heading to Paris to work as an assistant to Mario Testino, one of the world's most celebrated fashion photographers.
That formative experience — studying light, narrative and the architecture of desire — gave Gwyther an understanding of fashion storytelling that no journalism school could teach. From Paris, he moved to New York as Managing Editor of V Magazine, one of the most directional publications in the world, where he developed the editorial instincts and commercial intelligence that would define his later work.
In 2004, Gwyther pitched his magazine idea to a national television audience on the first series of BBC's Dragons' Den. British entrepreneur Peter Jones invested £175,000. Within a year, Wonderland Magazine was on newsstands.
"Every issue we make is a highlight. If you're relaxing in publishing, you're doing something wrong."— Huw Gwyther
Gwyther has built, grown and maintained three independent magazine titles over twenty years — in one of the hardest sectors in media. Wonderland ran for almost two decades. Man About Town became a global cult object. This is not a first attempt. It is a mastery exercise.
IMAGINE is built for the current moment: a digital content engine that drives traffic and builds community, underpinned by a bi-annual print edition designed to be collected. The print is not a cost — it is a revenue driver, a marketing asset, and a cultural statement. This hybrid model is where the industry is heading.
IMAGINE's audience is culturally literate, fashion-forward, and financially engaged. They are the early adopters whom OMEGA, McQueen, Chanel, ASOS, Nike and Adidas all pay premium rates to reach. Gwyther's track record of delivering this audience to blue-chip clients is unmatched in independent British media.
Editor-in-Chief Olive Walton. Fashion Director Justin Hamilton (British Vogue, GQ, Dazed). Beauty Director Kelly Cornwell (Vogue, i-D). Publisher Stuart Jackson (Wonderland, Hero). US Publisher Danner Tassone overseeing North America. A team built with institutional knowledge and independent spirit.
Print sales and subscriptions. Digital advertising. Brand partnerships and native content. Events. Shop.imaginemagazine.co on Shopify. The Topshop/ASOS magazine project in development. Each channel reinforces the others — creating a media ecosystem, not just a magazine.
At a time when large media conglomerates are cutting editorial and chasing clickbait, independent titles with sharp editorial identities are growing in influence and commercial power. Wonderland proved it. IMAGINE is its evolution: larger, bolder, built for the digital age from day one.
Whether you're a brand looking to reach the most culturally-invested audience in UK fashion, an investor excited by the future of independent media, or a creative who wants to be part of the story — the conversation starts here.