Hundreds of girls, all in cozy rain gear, DIY accessories, and excited smiles, pack around a stage in their favorite Soho bookstore, Housing Works. Everything these girls have in common, from style to attitude to political ideals, is due in part to the person they’re waiting patiently to take the stage. You may have heard of her. Her name is Tavi Gevinson, the 18-year-old creator of Rookie Mag (on top of, you know, casual stuff like starring in the Broadway production of This Is Our Youth, gracing magazine covers from Nylon to New York, giving TED Talks, and being an overall fashion icon).
The birth of Rookie started all the way back in 2011, when a then-15-year-old Tavi grew tired of her popular fashion blog The Style Rookie and wanted to create a community for girls that was empowering and positive, something she felt was lacking online at the time. With over 80 contributors, all young women, creating everything from think pieces to beauty tutorials (and beauty tutorial think pieces), Rookie not only filled a gap in the market, but contributed to a movement of girls becoming more politically active, creative, and confident. "It's been amazing to see how Rookie has grown," Tavi told Opening Ceremony in the corner of the bookstore, in the calm before the floodgate of guests at the front door was unleashed. "I think we cover more ground now. All of our writers and I have become more well-versed in what we're talking about."
This event in particular is for the launch of Rookie Yearbook Three, the third installment of Rookie’s print anthology. The book sold out on rookiemag.com almost instantly, with big names like Lorde, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Kelis, Sia, Grimes, and the ladies of Broad City all contributing to the volume. Tavi’s guest, the transgender rights activist and author of Redefining Realness, Janet Mock, exclaims during the talk, “How many books have you seen with that many A-list celebrities?”
When we asked about the star-studded group of contributors, Tavi remarks, “It’s really amazing to have the support of people that I admire and our readers admire. It’s special to be part of a publication that people will do stuff for without it being part of their press tour.” The book has also made an impact on social media, with everyone and their mother posting #rookieyearbookthree selfies. A cultural phenomenon with huge celebrity endorsements and social media domination? Yearbook Three is unstoppable.
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Tavi and Janet with Rookie Yearbook Three. Photo courtesy of Lauren Redding
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Hundreds of girls, all in cozy rain gear, DIY accessories, and excited smiles, pack around around a stage
The birth of Rookie started all the way back in 2011, when a then-15-year-old Tavi grew tired of her popular fashion blog The Style Rookie and wanted to create a community for girls that was empowering and positive, something she felt was lacking online at the time. With over 80 contributors, all young women, creating everything from think pieces to beauty tutorials (and beauty tutorial think pieces), Rookie not only filled a gap in the market, but contributed to a movement of girls becoming more politically active, creative, and confident. "It's been amazing to see how Rookie has grown," Tavi told Opening Ceremony in the corner of the bookstore, in the calm before the floodgate of guests at the front door was unleashed. "I think we cover more ground now. All of our writers and I have become more well-versed in what we're talking about."
This event in particular is for the launch of Rookie Yearbook Three, the third installment of Rookie’s print anthology. The book sold out on rookiemag.com almost instantly, with big names like Lorde, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Kelis, Sia, Grimes, and the ladies of Broad City all contributing to the volume. Tavi’s guest, the transgender rights activist and author of Redefining Realness, Janet Mock, exclaims during the talk, “How many books have you seen with that many A-list celebrities?”
When we asked about the star-studded group of contributors, Tavi remarks, “It’s really amazing to have the support of people that I admire and our readers admire. It’s special to be part of a publication that people will do stuff for without it being part of their press tour.” The book has also made an impact on social media, with everyone and their mother posting #rookieyearbookthree selfies. A cultural phenomenon with huge celebrity endorsements and social media domination? Yearbook Three is unstoppable.
Tavi and Janet with Rookie Yearbook Three. Photo courtesy of Lauren Redding
Hundreds of girls, all in cozy rain gear, DIY accessories, and excited smiles, pack around around a stage