The odd couple

HE RUNS LONDON’S COOLEST CONCEPT STORE, SHE EDITS OUR FROTHIEST MAGAZINE. SO WHAT DOES A MATCH BETWEEN HELLO! AND DOVER STREET MARKET LOOK LIKE?

Hello! magazine joins forces with the hippest department store in town

SITTING SIDE BY SIDE at a table, they make a rather mismatched pair. Adrian Joffe, who cofounded Dover Street Market with his wife Rei Kawakubo, founder of conceptual fashion label Comme des Garçons (of which Joffe is president), relies on that fashion-insider uniform of all-black. HELLO! magazine’s editorin-chief Rosie Nixon, meanwhile, is in black stiletto heels and a fire-engine-red tailored dress befitting a TV anchor: fashion understatement vs CEO power dressing.

Their friendship was forged through that great equaliser: ‘Tequila,’ says Joffe. ‘Tequila

and champagne,’ Nixon interjects. ‘We’d never met and we had a little party at Dover Street,’ Joffe continues. ‘I don’t know what you were doing there. I remember talking to you for a while, before I knew who you were. And then I said, “Really, you’re from HELLO!? I love HELLO!.”’

‘You told me that you’d read HELLO! on the Eurostar,’ remembers Nixon. ‘I was just amazed to be talking to this incredible image maker. You know, the king of fashion – and to hear your enthusiasm for our magazine.’

¡HOLA!, the magazine’s Spanish template, was founded in 1944. ‘They used this wonderful phrase that I often quote,’ says Nixon, ‘“La espuma de la vida,” meaning

the froth of life. Which is such an evocative way to describe what ¡HOL A! and HELLO! are – they’re about the best part of the party, when everybody’s having a great time.’ The UK edition was founded in 1988; at its core is unprecedented access to celebrities’ lives and the glamorous world they live in, with exclusive interviews and photo shoots, and none of the gossip-peddling that HELLO!’S competitors often go for. ‘We sell good news,’ says Nixon. ‘I think there is enough doom and gloom that we’re constantly bombarded with on our handsets and TV.’

‘A lot of people secretly love HELLO!,’ says Joffe. ‘It’s not a secret any more, that’s for sure.’

Joffe was the first to suggest collaborating on what would become HELLO! x DSM. Designers from Stella Mccartney to milliner Stephen Jones, plus newgeneration stars, have reinterpreted the magazine’s instantly recognisable red-and-white logo, complete with exclamation point, for a limitededition line-up of pieces. They’ll be sold in the London store – transformed into a specially built newsagent by set designer Andy Hillman – and online worldwide from Wednesday. Fifty per cent of profits will be donated to the charities Sentebale, which supports vulnerable children in southern Africa and counts Prince Harry as a founding patron, and 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund. ‘Did you think “Yes” straight away?’ Joffe asks. ‘Or did you think “Oh my God”?’

It was the former. ‘I did half worry the next morning, with one eye open, thinking he might regret this,’ admits Nixon. ‘Did you? I thought you might regret it,’ volleys Joffe. ‘It was kind of a departure for you. Not as much for us.’

If any ‘Oh my God’ moments did come, they were much later, when Nixon was presented with the designers’ riffs on the HELLO! brand to mark its 30th anniversary in the UK this year. Itchy Scratchy Patchy, a small contemporary label from model Edie Campbell and design partner Christabel Macgreevy, offered condoms printed with ‘HELLO! Is it me you’re looking for?’.

But Nixon appears to be unshockable. ‘Prmoting safe sex is a very responsible message. And it’s funny. If it makes kids use condoms then that’s good.’

As to whether her readers will be shocked… ‘There are always some letters. But I do feel really proud of this, and we have thought carefully about every step of this journey. So I’ll be happily writing back to explain that.’

While designs from Dover Street Marof-the-moment ket’s stable of names will be limedition, ited an online auction, run by de Pury, will go one step further with one-off items and experigoing ences under the digital hammer, and all money raised split between the two charities. Lots include Grayson Perry’s Kateboard – the Duchess of Cambridge’s likeness captured on a skateboard – and a ride in Sam Pelly’s next motorcycle adventure, the ‘Andalusian Odyssey’, in September (Royal Enfield motorcycle and Belstaff jacket provided).

In a difficult market, HELLO! hasheldfirm– for which Nixon thanks the ‘fantastic four’, as she calls Princes William and Harry and their other halves. Her phone is on the table as we speak, and she admits it’s never far from her as she waits for news of the Duchess of Cambridge and the newborn Prince Louis or further details of Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

If the whole HELLO! x DSM project has been an experiment in putting two worlds into one Petri dish, then the launch party may require safety goggles, judging by the guest list. ‘Oh, that was a bloody nightmare, that part,’ says Joffe, raising his voice past his usual soft register for the first time. ‘I kind of gave up.’

‘It’s all VIP, but there’s a VVIP and a VIP,’ explains Nixon, whose own guests will likely include royalty – the real variety – alongside Joffe’s fashion royalty. To bring them all together, and bring the project full circle, Nixon has a plan: ‘Tequila and champagne.’

‘Yes, I think that’s going to be absolutely necessary,’ nods Joffe. london.doverstreetmarket.com/hello-dsm

Riffs on the brand include condoms with ‘HELLO! Is it me you’re looking for?’ Left: the growing Royal family is rich pickings for HELLO!. Below: a selection of the limited-edition HELLO! x DSM pieces