Fashion Profile: MSKF Magazine
It was a really windy day as I made my way to meet up with editor and creative director of MSKF magazine, Malik S. Knight Fequiere in his Jefferson University townhouse. Though the wind was gusty it was a pretty warm day for the beginning of December. I saw him in the distance as I approached his home. Even from that far you could tell he was a tall and stout young man. He keeps his hair cut very low and maintains a modest mustache and clean face. He was wearing a flattering crew neck sweater and straight leg jeans which had a slimming effect on his frame. He was well dressed and clearly has an eye for style.
After a sincere welcome at the back door, Malik, a 21-year-old fourth year student, guided me to his main creative fortress where a majority of the MSKF magic happens, his personal bedroom. A small space he has for himself in a home he shares with four other roommates. His room was neat, clean, and smelled fresh. From my initial encounter I could tell it was a great place to think and get the creative juices flowing compared to the rooms of many other college students. I know for a fact I could get a good amount of work done in his creative space. It was about 12pm and he even had his bed made and candleburning on his desk to create a mid-day ambiance.
“I don’t see myself as someone who sells product but sells an idea. So, when I’m selling an idea I’m selling them the person”
-Malik Fequiere
Malik looks to provide his readers with art in multiple forms produced by the youth of today. Expose them to a creative culture that isn’t always noticed.
MSKF – Malik's initials -- is an online and print fashion magazine designed to gives young creatives a platform to showcase their talents and interests. The publication is a standard 8 ½ by 11-inch full color magazine which has a more matte than glossy feel. He has been publishing it for about 3 years and the hunger for his work is obvious.
Each issue features select millennials both globally and throughout the country who are not only fashionable but also creatives (bloggers, artists, photographers, designers). A handful of them have been from Jefferson University; some as features, others as models and writers. These are people you want to keep your eye on, they have big things ahead of them and you don’t want to miss out. Editor, Malik, pushes to create a visual escapade inspiring his readers and exposing them to the endless line of creative talent the world has to offer, from as close as Canada to as far as Russia. MSKF is a professional quality magazine of the people and for the people, it is a way of shinning a spotlight on young people doing amazing things. The idea isn’t to get away from the mainstream ideal of creativity and success, but instead to bring forth those who are often overlooked.
“MSKF is a space where we share other people’s stories surrounding art and design. We want people to know what is going on, share their work, know that they are not doing this alone, and to fight for what they believe”
-Malik Fequiere
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Malik began his creative journey in 2011 when he attended, Art and Design high school. While there he studied and grew a love for architecture and subconsciously discovered his interest in magazine and print work. He liked the writing, but his favorite part was the graphics of it all; the lay out and how perfectly things flowed and aligned was what intrigued him.
“For a long time I was doing architecture, so I use to read Architectural Digest and Dwell because those were the most prominent architecture magazines for me at the time. Moving forward I started reading more and seeing how people laid out their work, so now I look at Office magazine, Dazed and Confused, Interview, PIN–UP, and Hypebeast. Dazed and Office are a heavy inspiration for me because they don’t do the regular and focus on people from very different back grounds”
-Malik Fequiere
While still extremely passionate about architecture, he spent a lot of time developing his understanding of space within publications from the placement of words and images to the flow of unspoken expression. This was his ultimate preparation for what was to come in a few short years.
In August 2015, Malik began his college years at Jefferson University, at the time known as Philadelphia University, majoring in what he believed was his passion, architecture. While studying the art of designing and constructing buildings, he soon began to realize his true passion, building magazines. He realized he needed to create rather than to just appreciate the editorial work of others from a distance. In 2016, spring break of his freshman year, Malik, launched the first edition of MSKF magazine. Soon after he decided to make the big decision of changing his major from architecture to graphic design, adding an additional year to his graduation date. Breaking off his marriage with architecture and further pursuing his love affair with graphics was the beginning of a new chapter.
He started the magazine with a vision and actually made it happen. Some pages within the first issues covers featured friends and people he knew. After building an Instagram account for the magazine @mskfmag he began to network with creatives on a global scale. Social media was the greatest outlet which has helped MSKF to become what it is today, a shared space for individuals around the world to showcase their work. Malik, did all editorial components and handled the creative direction. This was his baby and he had a vision for how he wanted to present it; he did just that.
Today, there are six completed issues of MSKF, the last issue was published April 11, 2018 and printed copies of the publication are based on demand. He is now working on the seventh issue as the year comes to an end and it is expected to release before the end of January. In other big news, MSKF will soon be available for retail purchase. Next semester, early 2019, MSKF magazine will be available in the Jefferson University East Falls campus bookstore. This is a huge milestone for the brand which was previously only available for online purchase. The brand is growing, so be on the lookout because this is a release you don’t want to miss out on.
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Question of the Day:
Name three young people you know who have started their own businesses. What exactly do they do?
