Maha Amsterdam Meets Up With: Aa Magazine

29.04.2024

Maha Amsterdam Meets Up With: Aa Magazine

We’re Awa and Anastasia, founders of Amsterdam-based digital magazine Aa. We started Aa Magazine two years ago, driven by a need to find a home for our curiosities and create a platform for all the talented people around us. We view it as a digital blueprint that guides both our own and our audience's journey of self-discovery. Upon seeing each other for the second time ever, we decided to start the magazine, which led us to become close friends through building Aa, so we’ve never known anything different.

"There is something quite unique and beautiful about getting to know the other person through a shared passion and trying to bring it to life."

How do you strike a good balance between work and friendship?

When it comes to balancing our work relationship and friendship, we make sure to check in with each other and seek out honest conversations on where we both stand. In general, we try to be upfront with each other about both the things that are going well and the things that might annoy us. Sometimes we go on ‘friendship dates’ where we’re not allowed to talk about anything Aa-related. There is something quite unique and beautiful about getting to know the other person through a shared passion and trying to bring it to life. In the end, there is not a clear boundary between work and friendship, which is what makes our work so much fun, especially when traveling and having these shared experiences.

"In a city like Amsterdam, where you have to bike everywhere, comfortable shoes are an absolute must. I love the field general because it has such a versatile shape, which can be dressed up or down, and stand all weather conditions, so I can enjoy cycling around the city without worrying about ruining my outfit or not being comfortable." - Anastasia

What aspirations do you hold for the future?

We want to keep building our platform and share that journey with our team and those around us. At Aa, we try to balance this fine line between frivolity and depth and always aim to find a novel angle to explore our interests. Given that our magazine is online, yet very much focused on the community aspect, we really want to gradually bring more analog real-world experiences to our audience. Lastly, we’d love to expand our Aa universe all over the world.

How does your work reflect your style?

Awa: I think my work reflects my style through its simplicity, which enhances my ability to think clearly and stay present. Additionally, there's a subtle romantic playfulness present both in my work and personal style. Similarly, at Aa, we aim for straightforwardness with a youthful and lighthearted approach.

Anastasia: My style has changed a lot since moving to Amsterdam: I always have to be on the run because of Aa so it has become crucial for me to wear comfortable clothes. I would describe my style as full of dualities. I really like mixing casual and more dressy clothes, simple and more intricate, masculine and feminine. I think the design work I do is also full of visual clashes, be it with colors or fonts, so I would say that my style is somehow an extension of that.

Tyy for coming along with us and how we styled the Field General.

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Talent: Anastasia and Awa from Aa Magazine