What you hold in your hands is a new version of ES Magazine. A new logo, new voices including columnist Susie Lau, a section charting the who, what, where and when of each week and a My London reboot. Don’t panic: it’s still the ES you know and love but it’s had a facelift — and, let’s be honest, who doesn’t need a little zhuzh in January?
ES is 35 years old this year. It officially launched in October 1987 as a monthly magazine. On my desk, as I write this, is the first pilot copy. Full of smart, funny opinion and bold imagery, and promising to ‘bring an added dimension to living in our great city’, it’s been my roadmap to reimagining ES. You can see that original cover right here: bright red with an illustration of the iconic Eros statue from Piccadilly Circus. Eros has long been an integral symbol of the Evening Standard newspaper and magazine, and the accompanying QR code links to a specially commissioned film by Ruth Hogben, celebrating our winged mascot.
The cover for this special issue is a mid-1980s Bob Mazzer photograph of crowds heading down into Oxford Circus Tube station. It’s a snapshot of what, to me, makes London living so vital: the unstoppable flow, the human contact, the characters and those brilliant blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments — all things I can’t wait to experience again in this great city. Inside, you’ll find a portfolio of love letters to London, personal messages and moments from a roll call including Mayor Sadiq Khan, Jane Birkin, Bimini Bon Boulash, Gilbert & George, Bukky Bakray and the inimitable Charles Dickens. It’s a time-hopping reminder of how London is not formed out of bricks and glass; our capital is the culmination of conversations and ideas criss-crossing through its streets and across decades — centuries, even.
I’m excited to share more of our plans for ES over the coming weeks but, for now, I hope you enjoy this issue, made with love from us to you. @bengcobb
The video - and stills taken from it - have been created by photographer Ruth Hogben as an exclusive film for the relaunch issue., ‘The statue of Eros is such an amazing landmark in Piccadilly,’ she says of her subject. ‘I’ve never really noticed how beautiful and refined it is. I’m glad that I’ve spent the time making this film; London feels like it belongs to me even more now. It goes without saying that London feels exciting - I think anyone who comes here feels that. But to me, London sits in my heart like a wise grandparent with a familiar knowing.’
