Mag de Zine | the French women’s skate magazine making history

You hear me, a French women’s skateboard magazine. The first of its kind! Something, we were dreaming of back in the late ’90s. The only news from the French women’s skate scene we would get in the early 2000s was from Claire Essertel and her Pozeuz crew on their dedicated website. It lasted for a while until the crew parted ways. Since then, nothing. Until…

Here we are years later in 2022. Mag de Zine is born out of Gwendolinn Ledesma’s head during France’s COVID-19 lockdown and became a tangible reality not long ago. On April 7th, 2022, I was able to sit down with her at Cosa Skatepark at Chelles, to speak about her experience creating this magazine and get to know her more.

Let’s dive in! What inspired you to create Mag de Zine?
Since I started skateboarding seven years ago I’ve always read skateboard magazines. At first, at Cosa Skatepark, the free magazine called À Propos. I’ve always been interested in the skateboard press but it was only when I started working at Le Monde that I began buying a lot of magazines. Not only skateboard magazines but others on topics such as feminism or philosophy… When we found ourselves in COVID-19 lockdown, while rereading my skateboard magazines, I noticed very few representations of women skateboarders from Paris or from France in general. It clicked and I was like, it would be cool having a magazine on women skateboarders from here.

Sweet! How did you choose the name “Mag de Zine?”
It’s a wordplay with “magazine.” It’s the mag of the “zine.” “Zine” is a slang word from Marseille meaning “cousin” aka a close friend. It’s the Mag de Zine, the mag of a close friend [laughs].

I see. Can you tell us about the different steps you went through from your idea, to designing, to printing?
Ok. So I started by myself at the end of the lockdown of 2020. At first, I wrote all my ideas in a notebook without having in mind the actual making of it. So I wrote down what it could be, what I wanted to see in it such as interviews, photos, sections… Then I found a name. After a year only, I did the logo with a graphic designer friend, Rachel Cuneo. And once I saw the logo I thought to myself that the project can exist.

You were like ok now let’s do this!?
Yeah. Then I talked about it around me. Everyone was very encouraging. They all found the idea awesome so I started looking for people for interviews and then photographers. I did the interviews. Camille Rigou-Chemin did the layout. Sarah Ribeiro the illustrations. As I wanted this magazine to be free, once I got it all together, I looked for brands to finance the printing through ads. After getting the funds from the brands I sent it to the printer and it was out two weeks later at the shop Nozbone in Paris.

So it took one year?
One year. Yeah.

How did you pick the girls featured in the magazine?
For this first issue, I went the easy way. I chose people I already knew. There are three interviews: a portrait of a woman skateboarder with Jeanne Duval, a project presentation about Marion’s women skateboarder’s trip and documentary, and something artistic with an interview of artists Inès & Selena who showed their works, paintings on boards and objects made out of decks. I knew them all but I would have wanted to present them even if I didn’t know them. I mean, for example, Marion Desquenne, who has been playing a huge role in skateboarding for years, I’m so stoked she could and did the interview for this first edition.

It helped that you knew them already?
Yeah. They all accepted right away. That was cool. They all were hyper-motivated by the project. And for me, who is not a journalist, it was easier to interview people I already knew. I felt more comfortable and less ashamed of not necessarily knowing what questions to ask as a newbie interviewer. Also, I searched for inspiration reading skateboard magazines, paying attention to what they were asking and then I mixed it all my own way.

I just remembered. The other day while talking with you, you mentioned you quit skateboarding at some point? How come?
Yeah. I started skateboarding during high school. I stopped after I began higher education. I didn’t feel motivated anymore, I had less time… I parted ways with my skate friends so then I would not go skate anymore. I really wanted to concentrate on my studies. I didn’t plan to go to higher education but I went and I liked it. I was spending my weekends at the library studying. But two years ago, I started getting motivated to skate again.

What do you like most about skateboarding in general and in your practice?
What I like the most about skateboarding… It’s the fact that it brings people together, people from different urban cultures: graff, graphic design, all arts such as painting, photography, filming, and even music. Concerning my practice, I like to skate with people, with all my friends, and when it’s nice out, having chill sessions, getting together, going to a spot, being with my friends and just enjoying the moment. It’s the social aspect of it. Yeah. It’s mainly the social aspect of it: being with friends, laughing, learning new things, sharing. Well just now, there was my friend’s girlfriend who came and I taught her how to do her first kick turns.

That reminds me of when you explained to me you used to regularly come on Wednesdays here right?
Yeah. I used to come on Wednesdays to teach. It was to pass the “BIF” (Brevet Initiateur Fédéral Skateboard — a diploma that allows us to teach skateboarding as volunteers) but I never did. I really enjoyed teaching the little kids though. Adorable.

Let’s get back to the magazine. How did people welcome you when you presented your project?
Uh… I was putting a lot of pressure onto myself so I created presentations and arguments on Powerpoint. Actually, I went really far in thinking about the project to argue it well because no one knew me — I was coming up with a project out of nowhere and I was practically nobody. No one was reluctant — whether the brands or photographers — everyone was very intrigued and excited about the project. I believe brands saw opportunities for the women’s market. They like the idea of motivating the girls these days. It’s trendy.

Earlier you mentioned À Propos. I recall from the other day when you talked to me about the fact you sent your magazine to him. You were anxious about receiving his criticism. How did that go? Did you get your critic back?
Yes, I got it. I was scared and anxious about getting feedback from anyone while doing this project. I asked all of my friends what they thought about it. When they were saying it was good I would request for the negative side because seriously it’s not good to be too nice [laughs]. So yes. I was afraid about getting feedback from a well-established magazine. In the end, he liked the magazine and his feedback was constructive with good advice which will seriously help me in the future.

This first magazine is focused on the Parisian scene, where will it take place next?
I think for the next one it will be in the Paris area still because it’s just easier for me right now. I’d love to do special issues by regions from all over France. Imagine a travel mag that highlights the cities, the women skateboarders from there, its designers, photographers, filmers, and organizations with national distribution. I missed that for this first edition. I did the distribution for the Parisian area without realizing how much people would like it. I was able to send it across France to a few people who asked me but there were not enough copies.

You organized a launch party, how did that go?
Well, I simply asked Alexis from Nozbone if he could host the launch because he is used to organized events. There are events of all sorts every month there. He was hyped right away. The goal of the launch party was to make the magazine alive. Doing so by organizing an exhibition with the artists featured in the magazine with their drawings, paintings, photos, and furniture. We had a committed woman-only DJ set (Léo Von Zbeul, Minence, and Psukha from “Tout Feu Tout Femme” collective and Soyklo) in which there is a woman skateboarder, along with beers and soft drinks.

I saw. I believe it was a success. I’ve never seen that many people there so far.
Yeah. In less than an hour there were no more magazines and no more drinks. About 200 people showed up. Ah! We did a raffle too. We offered t-shirts designed by Sarah and made by Titus. Zeb helped me with that. People really got stoked on them. It was crazy that people who didn’t even know the project yet were that upbeat about it.

How did it feel for you?
I was stressed out and didn’t eat all day. There were last-minute requests and stuff. But then it went like a blink of an eye. During the event, I was constantly moving, saying hi, and talking from one person to another. I was happy everyone was having a good time, the ambiance was lit. After that, it took me three weeks to recover. I did not put a finger on any Mag de Zine files. I was very slow at responding on Instagram. Pretty terrible. All of a sudden the pressure left off and the fatigue emerged but now I’m good.

Awesome! So are there any side projects for the magazine?
[Laughs]. Yeah. There are plenty of projects. For 2022, we are going to Hotel Radio Paris, a Parisian web radio founded by skateboarder Jean-Charles Leuvrey. It’s a thank you to the DJs who came for the launch. Also, it’s an occasion to promote the mag and have fun. Then, Mag de Zine is going to be a partner of Cosa Girl at Cosa Skatepark. It’s a skateboard event for women that occurs every year. Then, we’re looking to film a part with all the Parisian woman skateboarders for a teaser of the next mag that I wish to launch next October 2022.

What do you want people to remember about this magazine?
Based in Paris, it’s the first French skateboard magazine highlighting and focusing on the women’s skateboard scene and skateboard culture. It aims to motivate women within the skateboarding community to create their own content: photos, writing… I hope it will inspire other countries to start their own women’s skateboard magazines apart from the ones already existing.

You can check out the digital version of issue 1 of Mag de Zine here. If you have content to contribute to issue 2 you can email Gwendolinn here. 

Interview and photos: Corinne Séguin
This interview was recorded in April 2022 and has been edited for length and clarity.