TUSH MAGAZINE / ARMIN MORBACH

TUSH is a beauty and lifestyle magazine and also, incidentally, one of the best photographic magazines in the German-speaking world.
To celebrate its 30th issue we spoke to editor Armin Morbach about seven exciting years.

Congratulations on the 30th issue of TUSH. Is there going to be a party?

The 30th issue would of course be a great occasion for a big party. However, we’ve decided to pass on it and instead invest in our new online presence WHAT! In addition to the 4 issues per year, we can now present our readers new, extraordinary and interesting things from the TUSH universe almost daily. As well as this, the 30th issue will be printed as completely sheet fed for the first time meaning even higher quality: we as well as our clients will benefit far more from this than from a party. But we’ll definitely be raising our glasses for a toast in the editorial office!

How important is and was change for the magazine?

Change is always important; that already starts with the colour of your own walls at home, which you should change now and again. Change for me is the driving force in life that keeps you young and always cutting edge. At TUSH we have never been afraid of change or new things either. In fact, it’s our trademark and the key reason why we’ve vitally enriched the world of beauty and fashion titles and continually surprised and inspired the magazine scene in recent years. In such a dull market of eternally indistinguishable magazines we still want to stand out and to do this you have to continually reinvent yourself. So TUSH will always remain different in the future. The only constant thing is change!

Won’t it at some point in the future become boring to bring out a magazine every 3 months?

TUSH is one of the few creative magazines made in Germany and it is published ‘only’ 4 times a year – so it would be sad if we found our work boring. My team and I have definitely still got enough ideas in mind for many more issues. It would perhaps be something different if we published monthly or weekly. But that just isn’t our goal.

How far away is TUSH today from the original idea of 7 years ago?

TUSH started in 2005 purely as a beauty magazine. Sure, we lead in this field today and have with it almost a unique selling position in the German market, but beauty is actually now only one of our main focuses. TUSH has grown and come of age – especially since Mirko Borsche took over creative leadership at the beginning of 2012. TUSH today is much more international: a global player.

Do you have a favourite issue or a cover which you especially like?

Of course I’m committed to every single issue and have found each at the time of publication to be exactly right. Just the same, I prefer to look to the future and am always thinking how we can perhaps top what we’ve already done.
On the cover of the new 30th issue I especially like, for example, that we play with the ‘delusion’ of some magazines that always have to show the hottest and greatest girls on the cover. We simply put a mask over the model’s head and did it differently.

What are the selection criteria for TUSH photographers?

Modernity and being up-to-date are very important to me. I like working with photographers who know what works internationally and don’t just sit in their studio and believe it isn’t necessary to look beyond their own backyard perhaps because they find themselves too important. I enjoy discovering new and innovative photographers who also do strange things which can even make you gulp. I’m actually very proud that we’ve already given many young talents a platform from which they’ve then gone on to work for large publishing houses such as Conde Nast.

Is there a photographer you still really want to work with?

I would really like to have a complete issue shot by Steven Meisel.

What has been the most frustrating experience of recent years?

It’s always frustrating if an advertisement is cancelled at the last minute. At the end of the day we, like all other magazines, fundamentally live from our advertising clients. And a complication for us comes from the fact that as an independent magazine, we don’t have a large publishing house in the background which can absorb something like this in case of doubt.

And what has been the best experience?

The call from F.C. Gundlach and his interest in my photography, which he had seen in TUSH. Apart from the fact that a friendship now also connects us, F.C. Gundlach asked if I could make some of my work available for his photographic collection. The pieces were part of an exhibition curated by him in the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow as well as in the Kunsthalle Wien. I am very thankful to him for his support.

What’s next for TUSH?

At a time when apparently every publisher has to bring out another ‘Schnitzel’ or lifestyle and home magazine, I will do everything to make sure that TUSH in the future will continue to be a source of inspiration for the beauty and fashion industry. I’ll also continue to fight for independent magazines so that the German magazine scene doesn’t get any ‘more’ boring.
Apart from this, our attention for 2013 lies very clearly on our online presence: www.tushmagazine.com has already well over 200,000 page views per month.