By Alice Alves Pinho Joazeiro. Cover image: Giada Pacini, Kontra Magazine at Fashion Room Bookstore. Photos and video by Gabriele Busi.

Redefining Magazines: Gen Z’s Bold Take on Print and Publishing

What Will the Magazines of the Future Be? In an age where content is fast, digital, and disposable, can the magazine survive—and if so, how must it evolve? At Visionary Minds #4, the annual exhibition by Istituto Marangoni Firenze, students from the Art Curating and Styling & Art Direction programs responded with bold, experimental prototypes that blur the lines between editorial design, contemporary art, and cultural critique.
Hosted in Florence’s Fashion Room bookstore, the perfect place to reunite students, tutors, people in the industry, and basically any fashion lover, the event wasn’t just a showcase—it was a question posed in print: how can magazines remain relevant in a world overwhelmed by images, algorithms, and impermanence? The answers came in the form of tactile, deeply personal objects, from performative zines to publications that challenged gender norms, reclaimed spiritual narratives, and turned the act of reading into an immersive encounter.

Why Visionary Minds Still Matter

As its name suggests, Visionary Minds is an event that embraces the fresh, forward-thinking perspectives of a new creative generation. Through experimental publishing formats, editorial concepts, and critical artistic practice, students explore how visual culture is evolving—shaped by identity, activism, and urgent questions about the role of creativity today. The works on display reflected how these young talents see and interpret the world around them, offering a glimpse into the future of the fashion and art industries, as well as the next era of magazine-making.

Art That Breaks the Page: When Publishing Becomes Personal

After seeing these works of art, I left with the question: “what does it even mean to make art”?
Art Curating students from Istituto Marangoni Firenze presented a powerful selection of works that challenged conventional definitions of art and publishing.

One particularly striking piece was Never Yours to Keep by Elea Baumgartner. The project, a biodegradable book buried in a soil-filled box, questions the illusion of ownership in the art world. “Art has its own life,” says Elea, “and it exists beyond possession.” Even if the physical object disintegrates, the idea—and the emotion—remain.
Another standout was Bo Fia Bernards’ spiritual and tactile book-object, created using natural materials like stones from an ancient water mill. Rejecting artificial elements, the piece pays homage to her Swedish heritage and revives the aesthetics of pre-modern publishing rooted in nature, ritual, and ancestral knowledge.

Kristine Urban’s Confessions to My Body offered an emotional jolt. Presented as an open book filled with anonymous written apologies to the body, it featured the stark sentence: “I’m sorry for hating you for so long.” The piece forces the viewer to confront society’s internalized shame and body politics through the medium of personal narrative and publishing as self-expression.

Rethinking Fashion Magazines: Styling & Art Direction Highlights:

The Styling & Art Direction students showcased independently produced magazines that went beyond fashion spreads to explore complex themes, visual storytelling, and personal vision. Each magazine had a distinct aesthetic identity, making the experience of browsing them feel like entering different worlds.

Two publications particularly stood out. Unedited by Maria Emilia Alvarado was a deep dive into masculinity—examining and deconstructing its clichés through photography, styling, and a bold editorial voice. Her magazine carved out a safe space for fashion-forward men to express themselves without fear or shame.
Spectia Mgze by Robalino Monsalve Pamela Estefania fused fashion and theatre into a visually arresting publication. Using bold color palettes, dramatic layouts, and performative styling, the magazine felt like a Broadway show in print, a reminder of how editorial design can be an act of spectacle and storytelling.

The Future of Publishing, According to Gen Z

Visionary Minds #4 wasn’t just an exhibition—it was a provocation. What is a magazine in 2025? What stories deserve space on the page? What forms will publishing take in a hybrid, hyper-digital future? Through bold experiments and deeply personal narratives, the students of Istituto Marangoni Firenze are already shaping the answers.
Explore their vision—and imagine the magazine of tomorrow.