# Luis Venegas (publisher)

Luis Venegas is a Spanish editor and publisher of five independent, limited edition magazines: Fanzine137, EY! Magateen, Candy, The Printed Dog and EY! Boy. He is also a creative director who has worked with luxury brands such as Loewe, Acne, Carolina Herrera and J.W.Anderson.
   “Just when everyone was preparing for fashion print publishing’s dying breath, Luis Venegas has reacquainted the industry with its love of hard-to-find magazines. Produced in severely limited editions, his labours of love Fanzine137, EY! and Candy (...) prove that fashion publishing has a healthy future if it serves a niche of fellow enthusiasts.”
Murray Healy, The New Creative Establishment, Interview Magazine 2010

## Early career

Luis' career started in Paris in 1996 when he was working as a designer for Thierry Mugler. In 1999, he moved to Madrid to work for Spanish fashion designer Sybilla as Creative Director of Communications until 2005.

## Fanzine137

In 2004, the first issue of Fanzine137 was born, with a limited edition run of 1,137 copies. The magazine is a collection of Luis Venegas’ objects of attraction at the specific time of publication.
Every issue is unique in size, theme, materials, layout and graphic design changes.
The list of contributors of Fanzine137 has included Steven Klein, Terry Richardson, Alasdair McLellan, Ryan McGinley, Christian Lacroix, Javier Vallhonrat, Tom Ford, Rodarte, Richard Prince, Tim Walker, Larry Clark, Gus Van Sant, plus interviews with Linda Evangelista, Bruce Weber, Juergen Teller, Carolina Herrera, Joe McKenna, Grace Coddington and Oliver Zahm among others. It has also posthumously presented portfolios by photographers such as Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts and Francesco Scavullo.
| Issue | Date | Title |
| 1.137 | September 2004 | Anything Goes |
| 3.137 | May 2005 | Corps Et Âme |
| 5.137 | May 2006 | Heartbeats Accelerating |
| 7.137 | October 2006 | The Sweet & Subtle Issue |
| 9.137 | April 2007 | Unforgettable Faces |
| 11.137 | November 2007 | We Are The World |
| 13.137 | June 2008 | Ladies & Gentlemen (Vol.1) |
| 15.137 | March 2009 | Ladies & Gentlemen (Vol.2) |
| 17.137 | May 2011 | The Black & White Issue |

## EY! Magateen

Venegas launched his second magazine, EY! Magateen in Spring 2008. The magazine was originally called Electric Youth!. The title of the magazine makes homage to Debbie Gibson’s 1989 song Electric Youth, taken from the album with the same name.
EY! Magateen addresses the energy, power and vitality of young males, most of them aged between 16 and 21 years. Each new issue is about a specific country or a city and is limited to just 1000 copies. The group of young people on display in EY! Magateen is a mix of handsome unknowns: mostly models, emerging artists, actors and athletes. The magazine features quirky comments and suggestive nudity.
Issues 6, 7 and 8 featured collaborations with American Apparel.
| Issue | Date | Title |
| 1 | Spring 2008 | Spain by Daniel Riera |
| 2 | Fall 2008 | United Kingdom by Alasdair McLellan |
| 3 | Winter 2008-2009 | USA West Coast by Doug Inglish |
| 4 | Spring-Summer 2009 | Argenteena by Steven Klein |
| 5 | Winter 2009-2010 | Germany by Kira Bunse |
| 6 | Summer 2010 | New Kids On The World |
| 7 | Summer 2011 | Brazil by Marcelo Krasilcic |
| 8 | Summer 2012 | Spain by Xevi Muntané |
| 9 | Spring 2014 | New York by Steven Klein |

## Candy

Venegas’ third magazine, Candy was launched in October 2009. According to its slogan it is The First Transversal Style Magazine. Following the tradition of his other two magazines, Candy has an exclusive limited edition run of 1500 copies. It is a fashion and art magazine completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, trans-sexuality, crossdressing and androgyny. The title of the magazine makes homage to Candy Darling.
Unlike other publications related to the LGBT community, which generally advocate for rights form a political standpoint, Candy stands out as a celebration of this lifestyle. For Venegas, “Candy isn't about rights, but I do think the fact it [Candy] exists helps.” In an interview with The New York Times, Venegas made his statement clear:
   “Gay magazines talk about the rights of gay people and the achievements of the gay movement […] I didn’t want Candy to be like that. I wanted it to be like Vogue. There are few groups of people for whom fashion, makeup and hair is more relevant.”
Luis Venegas, Meter, William Van (8 December 2010). "Bold Crossings of the Gender Line". The New York Times.
Photographers like Bruce Weber, Terry Richardson, Steven Klein, Tim Walker, David Armstrong, Ellen von Unwerth, Ryan McGinley, Walter Pfeiffer, Juan Gatti, Daniel Riera or Danielle Levitt and writers like Tim Blanks, Derek Blasberg or Hilton Als -among others- are regular contributors.
For the launch of the second issue, Venegas collaborated with Swedish design house Acne, creating a limited run of unisex blouses named after characters from the American soap opera, Dynasty.
Issues 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 had a single cover printed, with the 8th issue's being a gatefold cover. All other issues had multiple different covers, some featuring the same person on the cover (issues 5 and 9, featuring Connie Flemming and Miley Cyrus, respectively), others with different people on each different cover (issues 10 onwards). For issues 9 through 13, the number of different covers matches the issue number.
| Issue | Date | Cover(s) | Notes |
| 1 | Winter 2009-2010 | Luke Worral photographed by Brett Lloyd | |
| 2 | Winter 2010-2011 | James Franco photographed by Terry Richardson | |
| 3 | Winter 2011-2012 | Chlöe Sevigny photographed by Terry Richardson | |
| 4 | Summer 2012 | Tilda Swinton photographed by Xevi Muntané | |
| 5 | Winter 2012-2013 | Connie Fleming photographed by Danielle Levitt | The issue had two covers; one featuring Connie Fleming holding a U.S.A. flag, the other with her holding her hand on a bible. |
| 6 | Summer 2013 | Jared Leto photographed by Terry Richardson | |
| 7 | Winter 2013-2014 | Lady Gaga photographed by Steven Klein | |
| 7 | Winter 2013-2014 | Marilyn Manson photographed by Steven Klein | |
| 8 | Winter 2014-2015 | Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Carmen Carrera, Geena Rocero, Isis King, Gisele Alicea, Leyna Bloom, Dina Marie, Nina Poon, Juliana Huxtable, Niki M'nray, Pêche Di, Yasmine Petty, and Carmen Xtravaganza photographed by Mariano Vivanco | Dubbed "The Role Models" cover |
| 9 | 2016 | Miley Cyrus photographed by Terry Richardson | The issue has 9 different covers, all featuring Miley Cyrus in different poses: Miley licking armpit Miley wearing a white bodysuit saying "My pussy my choice" Miley dressed as a topless police officer sucking on a baton Miley dressed in military camouflage pants and a yellow t-shirt saying "Women Marines" while licking her wrist Miley topless doing V sign with her tongue out (signifying cunnilingus) Miley wearing black boots and bending over licking a strap-on dildo she's wearing Miley squatting in short shorts with two fingers in her mouth Miley topless bending backwards while smoking Miley naked holding a white cat in front of her face |
| 10 | 2017 | Hari Nef photographed by Nan Goldin | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Dara photographed by Inez and Vinoodh | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Amiyah Scott photographed by Thomas McCarthy | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Andreja Pejic photographed by Terry Richardson | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Triana Seville photographed by Pierre-Ange Carlotti | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Connie Fleming photographed by Ethan James Green | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Audrey Marnay photographed by Leon Mark | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Avie Acosta photographed by Santiago & Mauricio | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Torraine Futurum photographed by Lia Clay | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 10 | 2017 | Hari Nef + Andrés Velencoso photographed by Sebastian Faena | Guest Editor Hari Nef. Includes a 48 page supplement made in collaboration with LOEWE titled "A Closer Look", by Steven Meisel. |
| 11 | 2018 | Agosto Machado photographed by Ryan McGinley | |
| 11 | 2018 | Elliot Fletcher photographed by Amos Mac | |
| 11 | 2018 | A Tribute to Greer Lankton photographed by Michael Bailey-Gates | |
| 11 | 2018 | Rain Dove photographed by Cole Sprouse | |
| 11 | 2018 | EJ Johnson photographed by Greg Gorman | |
| 11 | 2018 | Stevie photographed by Lia Clay | |
| 11 | 2018 | Salvia photographed by Toyin Ibidapo | |
| 11 | 2018 | Joseph Ntahilaja photographed by Kristin-Lee Moolma | |
| 11 | 2018 | Jamie Wilson photographed by Thurstan Redding | |
| 11 | 2018 | Hari Nef photographed by Matt Holmes | |
| 11 | 2018 | Octavia St. Laurent photographed by Brian Lantelme | |
| 12 | 2019 | Aquaria photographed by Diego Villarreal | |
| 12 | 2019 | Tilda Swinton + Harry Freegard photographed by Matt Lambert | |
| 12 | 2019 | Teddy Quinlivan photographed by Katerina Jebb | |
| 12 | 2019 | Arca photographed by Daniel Riera | |
| 12 | 2019 | Joey Gabriel photographed by Sunny Suits | |
| 12 | 2019 | Hanne Gaby Odiele photographed by Mat + Kat | |
| 12 | 2019 | Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, and Janet Mock photographed by Luke Gilford | |
| 12 | 2019 | Jazzelle photographed by Louie Banks | |
| 12 | 2019 | Bryce Anderson photographed by Michael Bailey-Gates | |
| 12 | 2019 | Jamie Clayton photographed by Lia Clay | |
| 12 | 2019 | Amanda Lepore photographed by Mel Ottenberg | |
| 12 | 2019 | Josh Lavery photographed by Zack Bayly | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Arca photographed by Luis Venegas | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Matthew Williams photographed by Leïla Smara | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Daniela Santiago photographed by Alfredo Santamaría | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Bretman Rock photographed by Diego Villarreal | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Dustin Muchuvitz, Raya Martigny, Inès Rau, Zya Iman, and Nix Lecourt photographed by Louie Banks | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Frank Ayzenberg photographed by Thibault-Theodore | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Jimmy Paulette photographed by Nan Goldin | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Richie Shazam's self-portrait | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Michael Bailey-Gates's self-portrait | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Wesley Tucker photographed by Doug Inglish | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Aaron Rose Philip and Jake Junkins photographed by Mat + Kat | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Pabllo Vittar photographed by Bryan Huynh | |
| 13 | Summer 2021 | Amory Dahl photographed by Jack Pierson in collaboration with Tabboo! | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Alexis Stone as Barbra Streisand photographed by Louie Banks | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Transgendertrucks + Arca (self-portrait) | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | RuPaul photographed by Richard Renaldi | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Alex Consani photographed by Bryce Anderson | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Elvyra photographed by Greg Gorman | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Jane, Erica and Ella photographed by Michael Bailey-Gates | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Crystal Love photographed by Zac Bayly | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Zholie, Charlie, Cici, Jake and Alaska photographed by Emilio Tamez | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Gottmik photographed by Carlos Darder | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Lypsinka photographed by Jeff Bark | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Ella Snyder photographed by Diego Villarreal | |
| 14 | Summer 2022 | Alok photographed by Camila Falquez | |
In 2020 Venegas edited THE C☆NDY BOOK OF TRANSVERSAL CREATIVITY celebrating the 10th anniversary of the magazine. With the subtitle THE BEST OF C☆NDY TRANSVERSAL MAGAZINE, ALLEGEDLY, the book is a compilation that includes photography and art from over 100 artists from the first 12 issues, as well as new writings reflecting on the magazine's cultural impact.

## Other projects

Invited by Christian Lacroix in 2008 he was a judge for the prestigious photography festival Rencontres d’Arles alongside Elisabeth Biondi, Caroline Issa & Masoud Golsorkhi, Nathalie Ours and Carla Sozzani.
As a Creative Director in Spring 2012 he directed a video for the launch of Loewe’s Oro Collection which became popular and highly controversial in Spain. As a result, the collection sold out and it turned out to be the best seller of the year for the LVMH's Spanish brand.
In 2013 he took part as a panelist for a Fashion Seminar in Helsinki curated by Daniel Thawley in which also participated Marc Ascoli, Michel Gaubert, Jonathan Anderson, Benjamin Bruno and Karen van Godtsenhoven held at the Aalto University.
Venegas has also DJ’d in various venues around the world including Plastic in Milan, George & Dragon and Bistrotheque in London, Razzmatazz in Barcelona, Kaiku in Helsinki and at the Boom Boom Room in New York City.
He occasionally is a professor in Madrid and Barcelona.