Adanaya Kay
Interviewed by Gabrielle Barnes
Photo from FIDM Fashion Club
“I’m Ada, I’m a 21 year old woman from Long Island, NY. I would describe myself as a multipotentialite– I’m into so many different things but they are all creatively driven. That’s actually what made me wanna start a magazine like ICON. It felt like a place where all my interests could meet and build off of each other. I remember interning for Saks Fifth Avenue last summer in a branding introductory meeting and learning how to present oneself as a brand. That is when the idea really first struck me, to be honest. I was sitting there trying to answer the ‘What is your passion?’ question and couldn’t seem to find just one answer. I still can’t answer that question in a short sentence, but I can talk for days about it. I started painting when I was 8, started writing when I was 13, started sewing when I was 15, started modeling when I was 18, so I figured what a better place to combine all of these than a magazine. I wanted to create something unique and inspiring to people like me.
I definitely wanted a more modern minimalist aesthetic [for IC0N’s magazine and social media page] but something that is still eye catching and inclusive to everyone. I create most of the graphics myself, in the beginning I had to teach myself how to use photoshop, it was way more difficult than Illustrator which I use for my design sketches but eventually with help from some of my creative friends and YouTube I got used to it.
I want IC0N Magazine to be known for everything. I want it to be known for its fashion, art, music, events, articles, all of that but I especially want it to be known for the community that it highlights. There are a lot of creatives in NY that deserve the spotlight and feel overlooked. I want the magazine to be a piece of history from our time and also to predict the future. We’ve featured so many artists, photographers, designers, etc, that are already on the road to huge success and the world doesn’t even know about them yet.
It definitely [takes a lot to print a magazine]! My team honestly makes it a lot easier than it should be.
The biggest challenge we had to overcome was timing. It takes a while to print so many copies of an issue so we have to plan them for months in order to meet deadlines and launch dates. Usually, once we send an issue to print, we’ve already started working on the next one.
Right now we’re working on expansion– growing the staff and magazine as a whole. But we recently started diving into videography and mini interview segments. We have a lot in store, just waiting for the right time…We don’t wanna make any mistakes.
[I inspire] myself. There’s so much I want out of this world honestly. I want it all and I know I can have it all with the amount of work I put into my passions. The fact that I believe I can truly do anything I desire pushes me to do just that and stay true in doing it. I’ve been blessed with the ability and resources to follow wherever my heart leads me and that alone makes me keep going. I can’t take anything for granted.”
IN HER BAG
“Dior lip gloss, my pink balenciaga wallet, my passport (my ID is expired lol), mini mirror, my Mugler hand lotion is a MUST (in the winter especially), my laptop, and 5 gum.”
Check out IC0N MAG here & @ic0nmag. This interview has been edited for clarity.