February 19, 2018

In all honesty, the idea of “SHIFT” came to me while I was staring at the keys on my laptop. The meaning of “shift” in this particular context – to change letters from lower to uppercase – is arguably rather unremarkable. It doesn’t immediately evoke the same kind of symbolic weightiness that perhaps previous themes do, and it certainly doesn’t conjure any obvious images or visual associations. Upon further reflection, however, the possibilities for expressing “SHIFT” and its many nuances became more apparent – and with it, the theme for our Spring 2018 issue (also, SZA already had dibs on the “CTRL” key, so “SHIFT” was a good second choice).

Intrinsic to the idea of “shift” is the notion of change, of moving from point A to point B regardless of how gradual or sudden that movement is, or how drastic or minute the change may be. As people, we’re constantly in flux: our ideas, perceptions, bodies, and beliefs are always shifting in big and small ways, as is the world around us. It’s the inescapable introduction and conclusion to every facet of our lives – it’s scary, exciting, mundane, exhilarating, and inspiring all at once. In The SHIFT Issue, we hope to explore these shifts and how they play out in the realm of fashion and beyond – I hope you’ll join us for the journey.

Nadia Kim
Editor-in-Chief