I have learned to keep my guard up in new spaces, especially when I enter them in a professional capacity. Five minutes into the event, my guard was lowered and eventually dropped completely somewhere on the floor, where I left it for the rest of the night. I chatted with female creatives and magazine editors, sharing fun anecdotes and excitedly listening to their experiences. I was warmly embraced by every conversation and felt genuine interest and curiosity from each person I had the pleasure of meeting. In a time when connecting with people is proving more and more difficult, ‘Women in Print’ gave me hope for the possibility of forming genuine friendships within the creative industry.

I came to about twenty minutes later and remembered: ‘Oh, I’m here to work, I need to go do that’. It didn’t feel like work, though. Talking to amazingly talented women, getting to hear their stories and eventually sharing them with you felt like an honour, one I could not believe I was given.

“It will be set up as an exhibition, so people can walk around, read the publications, get to know the founders, and also get the backstory of the thought process that went into creating their work,” Sofia told me before the event. The idea of editors and founders displaying their magazines in a gallery format made me feel like I was travelling between worlds. With each step I took, I entered a new dimension created by the glistening pages of a magazine and the multifaceted mind of its creator.

I went around the room and stopped to look through each station where magazines were laid out, along with interactive inspirations the editors brought to tell a deeper story of their work. Every magazine was unique, but they all perfectly came together, creating a visual symphony that painted the future of female-led print media with bright and bold colours. The editors stood beside their work, excitedly answering questions. I spoke to them, and every conversation propelled me to a new realm where inspiration awaited.

As a founder of a publication myself, I found their goals, ambitions, and even creative processes to be a comforting familiarity. Some of their stories were similar to mine, and some were different, but they all included a point of genuine frustration that was wonderfully channelled into motivation. These women wanted to move the industry forward, wanted to create a space they could never find in the current outdated media landscape, and wanted to represent and innovate. And they were doing it with grace.

Tiny mic in hand and giddy excitement at heart, I interviewed each founder individually. I also could not help but purchase several magazines on display (great for me—not so great for my bank account).

You can find full videos of the interviews up on our socials now.

Before I go into my experience with each magazine, I want to give a shout-out to my friend Alex, whom I brought to the event as my +1 but who soon became my camerawoman, assistant and advisor. Although I fully understand that my job largely revolves around approaching strangers and asking them questions, having a friend beside me made the ‘approaching strangers’ aspect much easier.

Apex Magazine (@apexzine)

I started with Apex Magazine, located in the room’s left corner. The visuals of the magazine, bright and captivating yet almost mechanical in nature, caught my eye immediately. The magazine provides a fresh take on identity and consumer cultures, perfectly blended with unique and vivid imagery. I spoke to the founder of Apex, Andrea, who welcomed the questions with a smile and excitedly told me about her journey.

Andrea shared her main inspiration behind Apex:

“The inspiration behind it is actually the meaning of this editorial. It’s called cybernatural synergy, a blend between cyber and natural realities and what we can expect out of it in terms of our future and label as the self.”

The Sanxtuary (@the_sanxtuary)

I continued walking down the room to The Sanxtuary, a fashion magazine that gives voice to the BIPOC & Queer Community. I could feel the images come alive as I looked through the pages. I was immediately hypnotised by the magnetic energy of the colourful and distinctive visual layout and spent the rest of my time obsessing over the magazine’s articles with their exciting stories and unique POVs. As Natalie, the founder of The Sanxtuary, shared her experience of creating a much-needed space for her community, I felt immediately warmed by her company.

“I crowdfunded the first issue, so there’s always a way.”

Natalie shared some thoughts on the importance of diverse voices in the creative industry:

“If we lack diversity, then we lack perspective. I think that sums it up.”

Zeal Magazine (@zealmagzine)

I then moved to the middle of the room, where copies of Zeal Magazine were placed on hangers stretched out through a silver rail. The large photographs on the wall next to the rail were visual satisfaction enough for me to disappear into their striking complexity for hours. When I opened the magazine, I could feel the text intricately laid out on the pages, lulling me into curious submission. I gave in to the shapes and colours and bought another magazine (I have a problem with buying things, maybe). I spoke to the founder of Zeal, Bailey, whose sweet and charismatic energy was infectious.

“I started this magazine because I was angry at all the finance bros who were kind of claiming emerging technology at the time. I really wanted to break away from that.”

Bailey shared one thing that she learned throughout her experience of creating the magazine:

“One of the biggest lessons that’s on my mind right now is—be confused. It’s okay to be a confused girlie in 2025. I have an idea of what I want to do, but it’s all a bit un in the air, and that’s okay; we evolve and grow as people, so finding comfort and confusion and curiosity is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned.”

Onsett Magazine (@onsettmag)

On the opposite side of the room, I was captivated by another rail full of magazines; this time, it was Onsett Magazine. The magazine’s daring designs break the outdated traditions of print media with every page. ‘Good’, I thought, it was about time someone did that. Onsett’s second issue covers the brutality of youth, yet in its gentle pages, I felt understood. On the wall next to the magazine display hung a board that invited guests to leave small notes answering one simple question: “What are you bound by?”– a question as layered and complex as the themes explored in the pages of Onsett. I spoke to Honor, the incredibly talented founder of Onsett. She told me about the careful thought she puts into every page, and I felt even more in tune with the magazine and its content.

“We are a self-published magazine that takes an unorthodox approach to print.”

Honor shared what she learned in the process of creating Onsett:

“Just keep making, keep doing it. I haven’t been to university, so you don’t need to know the right people. You don’t need to know how to do certain things. Just have fun with it; it’s not too serious at all.”

The Green Zine (@thegreenzine)

I walked to the end of Blow Away Studios, where a small room perfectly completed the imaginative experience of the event. There, living its own life, a table covered with magazines, newspapers, images, and other supplies stood in harmony with the rest of the space. Guests were sitting around the table, creating their own memories in the form of small zines. That was the space of The Green Zine, a mini eco zine born out of the founder, Scarlett’s frustration with the negative approach to climate change news. The Green Zine positively encourages and advises the readers on sustainable behaviours while addressing important issues. Scarlett’s irresistible positivity echoed through the pages of The Green Zine, serving as a beacon of hope in today’s environmental media.

“5 years ago in lockdown, the climate change news was so depressing and so negative, I decided I wanted to reframe and try and escape climate doomism, so I started collecting stories of people doing positive things and putting them into a little zine. I made issue two all about conversations, and that turned into a workshop, so here we are today with everybody making their own mini climate zines.”

Scarlett shared a lesson she learned through her journey:

“If you’re a creative person and you have a burning idea at the back of your head, take that step and do it because that’s what I did five years ago, and here I am with all of these amazing ladies.”

DominAsian Magazine (@dominasianmagazine)

Finally, I came back to the front of the room. On the right corner, DominAsian Magazine was proudly displayed. The stunning photographs hanging on the wall were reason enough to pick up the magazine and immerse myself fully in its pages. From the first page, DominAsian grips you with its bright and engaging content. This magazine focuses on empowering the South Asian community and shares important experiences and stories, the kind that need to be told. I spoke with one of the founders, Sophia, whose deep passion made the magazine shine even brighter.

“We’re a magazine that’s here to uplift the South Asian collective. We need true South Asian representation, and who’s going to do that better than South Asians ourselves.”

Sophia shared some advice for all creatives:

“I feel like today I have been talking a lot about how I have imposter syndrome. You can’t tear yourself down, especially you’re trying to do something so big. It’s not going to be easy; you have to expect trials and tribulations that can make you less confident. But don’t let that steer you away from why you started what you wanted to start to begin with.”

A little later in the evening, the founders gathered for a panel mediated by Belle, a talented presenter and a friend of the organisers. I spoke to Belle before the panel and felt the same thing I did throughout all conversations that night: genuine excitement to be a part of such an exciting, memorable experience. The founders talked about their journeys, which were all different. One thing that reverberated through their stories was the soul and heart they put into their work. You could feel it come alive in every page of their magazines and every word they said as they shared their experiences with the room, which fell silent, curiously taking in every word the panellists shared.

As I watched these incredible women sitting next to each other, a thought came to my mind. Even if I just saw them for the first time in the room where their work was displayed, I could still easily match each of them to the magazine they created. That’s how much passion and personality they have put into their work. That is how their strong creative energy poured into each page, leaving a meaningful mark that anyone who has had the pleasure of flipping through the pages could feel.

I entered the room ready to take in an experience at an event that felt so close to my own creative journey. I left feeling more inspired than I had been in a long time, with a bag full of new magazines I could not wait to arrange on my living room table as a memento of a truly magical night.

This is what happens when events are done by the girlies for the girlies. In other words, this is what happens when 2sday Supper Club puts out an event.

2sday Supper Club

“We are a community, but we are also a spotlight for our talented friends and female talents.”

The story of this particular supper club starts two years ago when friends Sofia and Hannah began hosting dinner parties for their friends. “We realised we both loved hosting dinner parties and have slightly similar friends but different friend groups. One thing we had in common was the very strong female friendships in our lives,” Sofia tells me.

“We both moved to the UK about four years ago. So, really, our friends are our community and family here in London. We kind of missed the routine of having family dinners, where we come together and discuss our days and what’s happening in our lives. So we started hosting Tuesday night dinners at either my or her flat.”

That was the beginning of 2sday Supper Club – just two girls inviting friends into their home and enjoying an evening full of fun conversations and genuinely connecting. Over the next six months, their dinners started growing, and more people would come, meet each other and form collaborative projects right in the middle of their supper club. That is when Sofia and Hannah decided to scale up.

“Most of our friends were in different creative industries, so they would team up together, and other people would get internships. It was just a good network and way to meet people, so we thought why not do it on a bigger scale,” Sofia comments on how the idea of 2sday Supper Club grew and developed.

“The initial concept was that we would just be a supper club. That’s what we love doing. But since neither Hannah nor I have any experience cooking for 30 or 40 people, we decided to start partnering with different female chefs so that we could actually create something bigger. Later on, we started doing events in fashion, photography, music, and any other industry.”

As 2sday Supper Club grew, so did the team behind it. What started as two women organising dinners has now become regularly scheduled events. Yet there is something so amazing about an idea born purely out of two people’s passion and made real by their hard work and dedication. “We started with a supper club, and Hannah and I were basically doing everything, and it was pretty chaotic. I think it was a good way for us to learn because we were in every role. Now we’re very fortunate that our team has grown.”

2sday Supper Club now puts out two events a month. Both events highlight one thing: women. “One is a supper club, where we partner with a different female chef, and one is a cultural event, where we focus on a different industry. We have either a workshop, a talk, or an exhibition. We host anything that represents the industry,” Sofia shares.

2sday Supper Club created a much-needed space where women can feel a sense of community and express their creativity without reservation. This space becomes an important experience for anyone attending, but it is as important to the founders themselves. Hannah and Sofia created a space that they felt they needed; it is deeply personal. While speaking to Sofia, I understood how much she and her co-founder Hannah care about creating lasting connections.

“I can speak for myself, my friends, and the people I’ve talked to. We’re looking for more wholesome ways of interacting with our peers outside of going to clubs. We want to have meaningful interactions and experiences together.”

The main focus of 2sday Supper Club has always been centred around the female creatives of today. “I think most industries are pretty male-dominated, and I think it’s so much harder for women to get to a certain place. I feel like if we just create our own companies, our own businesses where it’s the female first, female lead; we don’t need anybody else, we can kind of disrupt the industries that we are working with,” Sofia comments on why this space is so important for women today.

“The main goal of what we’re creating is a network of future industry leaders. I say this because I’ve worked in creative industries for four years and lived in London, New York, and other countries. The fact of the matter is that most of the time, you’re getting a job because you know people within the industry. It’s all nepotism or connections, and that really excludes a huge segment of people that didn’t go to the right schools or don’t have the right background, and that’s kind of fucked up. I think we are trying to circumvent the standard, the traditional way to enter the creative industry and just create our own network to help each other going forward.”

The question of connections is forever present in every space that promises opportunities in the creative industry. People speak a lot about working hard and proving yourself; however, the opportunities to do so are more limited than you would expect. For women, who often get overlooked and lack advantages based on factors completely out of their control (like their gender or family connections), it often becomes impossible to get to a place where they are given a chance to show how talented and qualified they are.

The idea of creating your own space out of sheer frustration with the boundaries built up by years of selective networking has been on my mind for a long time. It was also brought up repeatedly during the ‘Women In Print’ event. It feels like we are finally waking up to the unfair rules of the industry and rebelling against them by doing our own projects and collaborating with each other instead of trying to appease the often outdated and ridiculously guarded ‘titans’ of the industry. And what better place to work on building a new, more inclusive creative industry than a place founded with that exact purpose in mind, 2sday Supper Club?