Altered Form: Finley Simpson on Creative Freedom, Fashion and Challenging Convention
20th October 2026
When Abbie Reardon, a recent Fashion Communication graduate from Northumbria University, joined us for the latest episode of The Mag Lounge Podcast, we spoke about finding your creative direction, navigating university life and learning to have confidence in your own work.
As the winner of our first Creative Talent Awards, Abbie’s final-year publication, Hot Mess, caught our attention for its exploration of life in your twenties, a time often filled with uncertainty, comparison and the pressure to have everything figured out.
Inspired by her own experiences, a love of 90s magazines and a passion for fashion and youth culture, Abbie created something that felt both personal and relatable.
Throughout our conversation, we explore the journey behind Hot Mess, from struggling to find an initial idea to seeing her work professionally printed and stocked in our shop. We also discuss the challenges facing young Northern creatives, the opportunities that come from putting yourself forward and what the future might hold for Abbie and her magazine.
Finding Her Creative Direction
Abbie’s love for fashion and magazines began long before university. Growing up surrounded by fashion influences, particularly from her dad, she developed an interest in clothing, music and popular culture.
Magazines were another big part of that interest. From Vogue and Cosmopolitan to Seventeen, Abbie was fascinated by everything from the cover stars to the layouts and stories inside.
Her first experience of creating a publication came while studying Fashion Communication at Middlesbrough College, where she produced a magazine for her final project. It was something she thoroughly enjoyed and would eventually return to during her degree.
However, finding the right university course wasn’t entirely straightforward.
Abbie initially studied Fashion Journalism at Sunderland before exploring a course in Manchester, but neither felt quite right. Eventually, she decided to study Fashion Communication at Northumbria University, closer to home.
The course allowed her to explore different areas of the fashion industry, including journalism, styling, marketing and creative communication, giving her the freedom to discover what she enjoyed most.
Looking back, Abbie has no regrets about changing direction, and her experiences show that finding the right path sometimes takes a little trial and error.
The Story Behind Hot Mess
When it came to her final university project, Abbie was given three options: create a campaign, a film or a publication.
With her longstanding love of magazines, choosing a publication felt like a natural decision. Finding the right concept, however, was another story.
While other students appeared to have their ideas figured out, Abbie struggled to settle on something she genuinely wanted to explore.
“I felt like everyone around me had an idea.”
Initially, she considered creating something around sport, but after spending more time thinking about it, she realised it wasn’t a subject she felt particularly connected to.
It wasn’t until a conversation with her mum that everything began to fall into place.
Sitting in the car, Abbie found herself reflecting on the pressures of being in her twenties. Friends were buying houses, starting families and moving into different stages of their lives, while she felt unsure about what she was doing or where she was heading.
It was a feeling she couldn’t seem to escape, and one she realised many other young people were experiencing too.
That conversation became the inspiration behind Hot Mess, a magazine exploring the realities of navigating your twenties, from comparison and relationships to careers, culture and finding your feet.
Rather than creating something around a topic she thought she should be interested in, Abbie had found an idea that genuinely reflected her own experiences.
What started as uncertainty about her future had become the very subject of her final project.
From Inspiration to Publication
Once Abbie had settled on her concept, the next challenge was bringing Hot Mess to life visually.
Her initial design took inspiration from the early 2000s, particularly the glossy, playful aesthetic of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.
However, as the project developed, she found herself drawn towards a different era.
Growing up listening to 90s music, including Oasis and The Stone Roses, had shaped much of Abbie’s personal taste. She began looking more closely at magazines from that period, particularly The Face, Dazed and GQ.
Their approach to fashion, music and youth culture became a major influence on the final publication.
Abbie even began collecting older issues through eBay, using them to explore layouts, typography and the editorial styles that made those magazines so distinctive.
The result was a publication that felt much more connected to her personality, bringing together nostalgic design with contemporary conversations about life in your twenties.
Inside Hot Mess, readers can explore everything from social media comparison and politics to music, television, moving abroad and the pressures of modern lifestyles.
Abbie also invited other writers to contribute, something she initially felt unsure about but eventually found to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the process.
Rather than creating every element herself, she was able to collaborate with others and bring different perspectives into the magazine.
It was an experience that gave her a greater understanding of what goes into creating a publication beyond university, from developing an editorial direction to working with contributors and bringing everything together in print.
Finding Confidence in Her Work
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was hearing how much Abbie’s confidence had changed throughout university.
During her first year, she received feedback on a journalism assignment that left her questioning whether writing was something she wanted to pursue.
But rather than letting that experience define her abilities, she eventually returned to journalism through Hot Mess, creating a publication that combined her interests in writing, fashion and editorial design.
Her work also opened the door to an opportunity she hadn’t initially expected.
After encouragement from her lecturers and family, Abbie put herself forward for a fashion competition associated with London Fashion Week, where she was shortlisted and had the opportunity to present her work to industry professionals.
For someone who had spent years looking up to publications such as Cosmopolitan, being able to share her own work with people from the industry was a significant moment.
And then came The Creative Talent Awards.
This year, we launched our first awards with Northumbria University, with the aim of giving students something more than a grade for the months of creativity, research and hard work that go into their final projects.
For our winning student, this meant receiving a physical award, five professionally printed copies of their magazine, a place in our exhibition in The Mag Studio and an episode on The Mag Lounge Podcast.
When reviewing the shortlisted publications, we were looking for something that could sit comfortably alongside the independent and mainstream magazines already stocked in our shop.
Hot Mess stood out for exactly that reason.
For Abbie, winning provided recognition for her work and something meaningful to add to her CV and portfolio. But perhaps one of the most exciting moments was seeing her publication professionally printed and available in a real magazine shop.
“It feels like real real. I’m like, oh my god, it’s in a shop. People can buy it.”
After spending months creating something within a university setting, seeing it become a physical product that other people could discover gave the project an entirely different meaning.
It also opened up the possibility of what Hot Mess could become beyond university.
The Challenges of Being a Northern Creative
As a recent graduate beginning to explore her career options, Abbie is now experiencing another challenge familiar to many young creatives: finding opportunities in the industry.
Despite wanting to work in publishing, she has found that many of the roles she’s interested in are based in London.
“Everything is in London”.
Our conversation explored the pressure many Northern creatives feel to relocate in order to pursue their ambitions, particularly when entry-level positions can require previous experience and salaries don’t always reflect the cost of living in larger cities.
For Abbie, who would ideally love to remain in the North East, this creates a difficult decision between staying close to home and finding the opportunities she wants.
However, she also recognises the value of the creative community here.
Reflecting on her experiences visiting London, Abbie spoke about the difference in atmosphere and how the North East can feel more approachable when it comes to building connections and collaborating with others.
It’s a conversation that feels particularly relevant as we continue to explore how we can support the next generation of creatives through our programmes, events and partnerships.
We also discussed the future of print and whether there will continue to be opportunities within publishing as the industry becomes increasingly digital.
For Abbie, physical magazines still hold a special place, particularly as younger generations rediscover nostalgic media and the enjoyment of collecting something tangible.
Whether it’s an interesting cover, a favourite musician or a publication that represents a particular moment in time, magazines offer something that can be kept and revisited.
It’s something Abbie understands both as a magazine collector and now as someone who has created her own.
Whether it’s an interesting cover, a favourite musician or a publication that represents a particular moment in time, magazines offer something that can be kept and revisited.
It’s something Abbie understands both as a magazine collector and now as someone who has created her own.
Abbie’s space in our exhibition in The Mag Studio
What’s Next for Abbie and Hot Mess?
Although Abbie has now graduated, her ambitions within publishing are only just beginning.
When asked where she would like to be in five years, she hopes to have established a career within the magazine industry, potentially working with one of the publications that inspired her own creative journey.
But what about Hot Mess?
While a second issue isn’t confirmed, Abbie is interested in continuing to develop the magazine, potentially building its digital presence before returning to print.
She has already continued sharing content through its Instagram account and recognises that the skills and experience gained from creating the first issue could help her take the project further.
As our conversation came to a close, we asked Abbie what advice she would give to students or young creatives beginning their own journeys.
Her answer was simple.
“Definitely just do everything. I’d say if you have an opportunity, just do it.”
From developing technical skills to taking on new experiences and putting yourself forward for opportunities, Abbie encourages students to make the most of what’s available to them.
It’s advice that reflects her own journey, from changing university courses and struggling with her final project to being shortlisted for an industry competition and winning our Creative Talent Award.
What makes Abbie’s story particularly interesting is how closely it reflects the message behind Hot Mess itself.
She created a magazine about feeling uncertain in your twenties, while navigating many of those same feelings throughout her own creative journey.
And although she may not have every step of her future figured out just yet, she’s already created something that has given her new confidence, industry experience and a foundation to build upon.
Sometimes, finding your direction isn’t about knowing exactly where you’re going, but being willing to explore the opportunities that come along the way.
To hear more about Abbie’s journey, the inspiration behind Hot Mess and her hopes for the future, watch the full episode of The Mag Lounge Podcast on our YouTube channel.
You can also discover more about The Creative Talent Awards and how we’re supporting the next generation of magazine makers across the North East.
You can purchase Hot Mess for delivery worldwide here.
