Jason Cerin (USC '21) and Diana Fonte (USC '21), co-founders of Haute Magazine.
Haute Magazine is the University of Southern California's art, fashion, and culture publication. Haute was founded in 2018 by Jason Cerin and Diana Fonte to showcase the creative workings of USC’s student body. This includes but is not limited to various forms of art, fashion, journalism, music, and more. These works are then featured alongside some of the biggest names in the media industry. Past issues have included notable figures such as Rihanna, Billie Eilish, FKA twigs, Grimes, Cardi B, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and more.
FALL 2019: Haute Magazine launched its first issue, Out of Context. The nearly 400-page edition includes 35 features from USC student contributors, as well as writers and photographers from around the world. The inaugural issue's theme explores the struggle to find belonging, and uncover the growth that emerges in accepting one’s identity. Shortly after its release, Haute was featured on the front page of their university's official newspaper, Daily Trojan, for being “the magazine that is taking USC by storm.” Out of Context solidified Haute's position in the student-led publishing space and ushered in numerous future opportunities.
Poster featuring the signatures of some contributors to Haute's inaugural issue, Out of Context.
Cover of the limited edition zine created for the Vans Spirit of DIY campaign.
HAUTE X VANS: Following the release of Out of Context, Haute was given the opportunity to collaborate with Vans on their Spirit of DIY campaign. This initiative highlighted a select community of musicians, artists, and fans that champion the idea of carving out their own path without the need for permission. Recognized for using the spirit of DIY to make things happen in the real world, Haute was selected as one of the creative communities in Los Angeles that is doing exactly this. Their team of student photographers, models, and stylists created original content for the global skate brand at a photoshoot of their own design, which then was assembled by student designers into a 30-page zine for the company.
SPRING 2020: Haute Magazine launched its second issue, Future Shock. In terms of page length, featured names, and international reach, the spring 2020 issue stands as Haute's biggest issue. Taking a departure from the visual aesthetic of issue one, this edition immerses readers in avant-garde visions of fashion, technology, sustainability, artistic progression, and societal change. It also began Haute's legacy of featuring some of pop culture's biggest names in its magazine. Billie Eilish, Grimes, FKA twigs, Miquela, and more can be found within the 426 pages and 30 features. As a result, Future Shock received worldwide acclaim, being read online by nearly 400,000 people to date.
Haute's 2019 Executive Board at the Future Shock promo video shoot. (L to R: Alyssa Kyle, Naiya Ross, Awo Jama, Sydney Loew, Christine Du, Diana Fonte, and Jason Cerin)
The cover stars and Haute Magazine staff members at the Remember This cover photoshoot. (L to R: Jason Cerin, Ayoni Thompson, Jephtha Prempeh, Diana Fonte, Etienne Kabwasa-Green, Alyssa Kyle, Kian Broder-Wang, and Sydney Loew)
FALL 2020: Haute Magazine launches its third issue, Remember This. The events of 2020 reshaped the social landscape of our country and propelled Haute Magazine into reforming its own workings. Four months before launch, Haute made the decision to change this issue’s theme to allow for them to address some of the world’s most pressing issues. From the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, to the Hong Kong Protests, the politics of mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic to the ongoing fight to bring visibility to Black queer communities, Remember This tackles subjects that have both emerged and been brought to the forefront of discourse during the life-changing year.
SPRING 2021: Haute Magazine launches its fourth issue, Dream State. Unlike the previous three issues, Jason did not serve as the creative director for this issue, as Haute was undergoing a transition to the next generation of leadership. With Dream State being the final edition of Haute that Jason would have the opportunity to contribute to before graduating, he chose to author his own feature. In his words, he wanted this to serve as a "love letter" to everyone he met throughout his college career, both at Haute and beyond. Despite Jason and Diana graduating in 2021, Haute Magazine has since been passed on to a new, remarkable group of individuals to continue the publication and keep the dream alive.
Image from Jason's Dream State feature entitled Remember Me. (Photography By Tim Vo)
2021 graduating members of Haute Magazine's Executive Board (Jason Cerin, Christine Du, Diana Fonte, and Alyssa Kyle) with the newest cohort of directors.
When Jason and Diana started Haute Magazine, they were two wide-eyed freshmen with a vision for something that could unite a community around a common love. Since then, Haute has become an organization that they are only a small fragment of, with over 100 student members and a global network of acclaimed contributors, all of whom encompass a creative spirit and a fire that they could not have imagined. In addition to its biannual publication, Haute now has subsidiaries such as a video production team, university-sponsored radio show, merchandise line, and scholarship fund for BIPOC student creatives, Regardless of where the future takes it, Haute Magazine will always be a space for creatives to come together and redefine what it means to be a student-run publication.