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Benjamin Barron: ALL–IN started two years ago. Allison and I went to Bard College together, and always talked about creating a platform for collaboration—something to bring people together.ALL–IN came together after I finished a semester abroad at Central Saint Martins in London, where I met our graphic designers, Hudson Shively and Elif Tanman. Allison came to visit me in Rome, where I'm from. Going back to a place disconnected from the internet-based reality most of the world engages in inspired ALL–IN. We wanted to move back toward life.The first issue of ALL–IN was created during my last year in college, and Allison's first year after graduating. It probably wasn't the most logical decision—I hardly saw anyone for a year—but I find that you can sense how much time and energy went into the first issue.You've said that you started ALL-IN because you had something to say. What do you think ALL-IN provides that other publications might be missing?
I don't think ALL–IN is the solution to all other publications. There are so many incredible magazines, and ALL–IN wouldn't have been possible without them. ALL–IN is about where we are now. It's about not only highlighting varying perspectives and disciplines, but also discussing topics we all interact with—time, regret, fear, etc. ALL–IN is for everyone.
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There are so many. In the first issue of ALL–IN, we addressed the art scene in New Mexico and Texas in the 1970s with Ken Price's feature. We also spoke with George Sowden, Nathalie Du Pasquier, and Martine Bedin of Memphis, the design collective started in part by Ettore Sottsass in 1980s Milan. Growing up in Rome, I lived a block away from the Pantheon. I'd say that structure laid the framework for aesthetics as we know them.Allison Littrell: I'm interested in the past because it's ultimately unattainable. I'll never know what it was like to live in the 1920s, 1970s, or 1980s, but life today is so strongly influenced by certain ideas from history that have trickled into the present. What's the most fascinating to me is what and how we remember. Certainly so much of the past has been lost due to neglect or has been just swept up in the passage of time. That's what we discussed with Cory Arcangel—the power that new technology has given us to slow the natural decaying process.
Advertisements were essential to ALL–IN; we had advertisements created exclusively for us by [musician] QT and Cory Arcangel. We wanted these to be seamless with advertisements created by brands we admire—Vaquera, Vejas, 69, and Issey Miyake.
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Benjamin Barron: Growing up around artists like Willem, I learned that everyone is equal and has the same needs. He's a very calm and directed person, and I think it's not a coincidence that he's so successful in his career—he leads such a full life.Working with my mother has been really amazing; I got to photograph my friends India Salvor Menuez and Alexandra Marzella with her for Marfa Journal recently. I'm probably my mother's biggest fan, so that was an honor for me.Issue one features incredible legends like John Waters, Bernadette Corporation, and Memphis Group, along with upstarts like 18+. What do you think connects them, or makes them all fit together in the magazine?
Maybe that they're all people. Whether it's transparent or not, they all want and experience similar things even if their perspectives might be different.Allison Littrell: The element that connects all the artists in the first issue is at the core of what ALL–IN is. It's hard to put into words, and I think both Benjamin and I intuit it better than we can verbalize it. It's about how those artists choose to question the norm, and experiment with the established boundaries of their time. The Memphis Group did that within the model of Modern Design in the 1980s and 18+ is doing that with the system of music distribution today. I guess the first issue was about experimenting—the next issue will be something completely different.
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Allison Littrell: That feature started in the same way as many of our other features—by reaching out to a friend whose work we love. Macklin Casnoff is an extremely talented chef who often pairs his culinary work with writing and other media. We knew we wanted to do a feature on food for the first issue of ALL–IN and he worked with us to create a menu that meant something to him. He chose ingredients that had backstories and then worked with us to photograph the dishes. We created recipe cards in the magazine so that people could have something to take away with them.Who is your dream profile subject?
Benjamin Barron: Justin Bieber!Allison Littrell: Right now I'm obsessed with the idea of talking to Siouxsie Sioux. It changes everyday.Visit ALL-IN's website for more on the magazine, including stockists.Follow Jocelyn on Twitter.