Arts Profile

Well Fraised

Teens awarded for merging DIY with high design

Elizabeth Dwyer Sandlin

Sofia Resnik and Mikala Sterling

Borne from a shared interest in magazines, fashion and design, Fraise (meaning strawberry in French) is a response to what Sterling and Resnik, now juniors, find lacking in other teen magazines. “Coming from Albuquerque, we think there’s a lot of design and fashion that’s just starting to emerge here,” Resnik says, “and we’re in a unique position to take advantage of that inspiration. ... We want this to be an Albuquerque magazine with an international context.” And they do so with flair: The pages of Fraise are splashed with fashion spreads, articles on architecture, and blurbs on innovative products and textiles.

Now, two years in, they're getting a major salute for their efforts. It comes in the form of a new award at the Creative Bravos ceremony, run by Creative Albuquerque (formerly the Arts Alliance). On March 24 they'll be distinguished as the first honorees to take home the Young Creative Bravos Award, which includes a statue designed by sculptor Randy Cooper.

Fraise began with the "Texture" issue (each has a theme): a professionally bound print edition replete with articles, photo shoots and advertisements. “We love the tangible experience of holding a magazine,” Resnik says, “so the idea of a cheaper, online magazine wasn’t an option."

In spite of Sterling’s insistence that she isn’t a writer, the girls do nearly every job on the magazine themselves. They are co-editors-in-chief, talent recruiters, fashion shoot stylists and photographers, advertising solicitors, printing collaborators, and, yes, they write the articles. “The only things we don’t do are the things we have no idea how to do,” Sterling says. She shows me some pages of fashion collages. “We had no clue how to do that,” she says. So they enlisted the help of Erin Piasecki, a sophomore at Amy Biehl, who put those layouts together.

Issue No. 2

Fraise made a small profit on the first issue, which was printed in a run of about 150. Those proceeds went toward creating the second issue (the “Culture Shock” issue, featuring cross-culturally inspired design and fashion) their sophomore year.

Reflecting on all they’ve learned from the Fraise experience, both girls agree that the financial aspects of making a magazine are the most difficult. But they also acknowledge the support they've received from businesses, providing invaluable lessons in networking and self-promotion. "It’s amazing how helpful businesses have been," Resnik says. " Buffalo Exchange and 2 Time Couture donated clothes for fashion spreads, we’ve convinced local vendors to advertise with us. ... It’s been hard but really great.”

Sterling also confesses they’re in a holding pattern. “Junior year at Amy Biehl is intense. Fraise means too much to us to do another issue that isn’t the best it can be.”

Winning the Young Creative Bravos award is just one more sign of support that keeps the girls going. “It’s encouraging to see that people appreciate what we’re doing,” Resnik says. “So many people have helped us, it’s great that they’ll get more recognition now, too. It makes me want to keep doing this.”

Saturday, March 24, 6 p.m.

Albuquerque Museum of Art and History

2000 Mountain NW

Tickets: $95, $75 Creative Albuquerque members, $125 pair of members

268-1920, creativeabq.org

To order back issues ($20 each), email fraisemagazine@gmail.com