Today we’d like to introduce you to William Young.
William, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2004, I quit my graphic design job with a print company two days away from Thanksgiving, and it was at that moment I made the decision I need to be my own boss, but I didn’t know in what capacity. My friends took me to the Bayou Classic in New Orleans to ease my mind and have little fun but the entire time I was there, the idea of starting a magazine kept popping up in my head, and I couldn’t shake it.
When I returned back to Dallas the following week, I was made aware of a situation that had occurred with my youngest nephew while he was at school. He was standing in front of the school waiting on his ride to pick him up when a group of guys in a car pulled up to him and the passenger pulled out a gun thinking he was someone else based on what he had on which at this time it was popular in most rap videos to wear oversized white tees and khaki pants. By the grace of God, the guy in the back seat said he wasn’t the guy they were looking for.
My nephew had cornrows, and the other guy didn’t, and they drove off. When I heard what happened and I asked my nephew why did he have that on, his reply was “what else is there to wear? This is what they’re rocking’ unc in my favorite music videos.” That’s when it hit me, I had to create a fashion magazine for men of color to show them they had options when it came to style and fashion. Men of color shouldn’t be limited to just G-unit tank tops and oversized Khaki Dickie’s. The name was easy.
I decided to call it KRAVE, spelled with a “K” in recognition of my fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. And KRAVE is for the man who craves more out of life. KRAVE was the only fashion, lifestyle and entertainment magazine for men of color. However, we wasn’t the first. I was such a big fan of two that inspired me years before and were no longer in circulation. Ebony Male and CODE Magazine.
They were designed beautifully with great editorials and images of black men, and they were the first publications to help launch the modeling careers of Tyson Beckford, Boris Kodjoe, Shemar Moore and Djimon Hounsou. I wanted to show men of all ages that it’s okay to be fashionable and since 2005 we’ve been doing just that.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
In the beginning, it was pretty frustrating trying to be accepted by your peers as well as the industry. Black men weren’t use to seeing a magazine that only focused on fashion and not have video vixens plastered half-naked on the page. So the question we used to be asked a lot was “is it a gay magazine?” and my reply would be and still is… we’re a fashion magazine, and fashion doesn’t have a sexuality.
Secondly, if you actually purchased a copy of the magazine instead of just going off the cover, (seeing a man in a custom fitted suit versus seeing him styled in the latest hip hop attire was considered soft), you would see from the editorial content who we’re speaking to. The other challenge was and still is, getting advertisers to see they’re missing out on reaching a demographic that is ready to spend money and finding ad salespeople to get out and get the ads based on 100% commission.
Although the advertisers we want may have ads running in some of the local high-end luxury magazines, they’re missing out on having them being seen by men of color due in part to the fact we’re not picking up a magazine that we don’t see us on the cover of. So their ads are being overlooked in those other publications. We want the realtors, auto and corporate advertisers in our publication.
KRAVE Magazine – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We’re fashion first. We feature the latest styles and trends in fashion and shoot editorials around this. We style each look based on our swag. We feature various body types. So you will see athletic built guys as well as the model size guy. I am the creative director and sole graphic designer for every issue of KRAVE.
I have yet to find a graphic designer with my design aesthetic. We receive a lot of compliments on how clean our layouts are. From KRAVE came KRAVE Fit (our fitness magazine), KRAVE Kutz (Our barber and grooming guide) and Weight2Wear Fitness Apparel (and yes I design each shirt from scratch.) KRAVE is very in your face.
We’re community driven, and so you’ll see us speaking at local high schools to young men about fitness and fashion to inspire them but more importantly show them that they have career options in this life. And once you show a kid he as options, it changes his life. I’m a product of this.
What I’m proud most about is the number of successful modeling careers that have come from the pages of KRAVE. Over the years I’ve developed an eye to find some potential stars in fashion and fitness modeling. So much so a few years ago I worked as a scout for one of the largest fitness and sport repped agencies on the East Coast.
Some of discoveries and success stories include:
-Kim Dawson Agency Repped Model: Brandon Ramon Williams
-Nike Athlete and Commercial Model & Odell Beckhams Cousin: Terron Fonder Beckham
-America’s Next Top Model First Male Winner Cycle 21, Keith Carlos
-Tyler Perry’s If Loving You Is Wrong Actor and AMNTM Cycle 21: Denzel Wells
-Polo Red Extreme Fragrance & Polo Sport Model: Kenneth Guidroz to name a few.
-Actor, Model, and Social Media Influencer: Travis Cure
I’m also proud of our annual KRAVE Kover Search Kontest that we kicked off ten years ago in order to give everyone a chance to appear on the cover. After the first year of KRAVE when we landed our first celebrity cover, actor Brian White, every cover has been celebrity driven.
So we decided to take it back to the beginning and give the model chance, and our Kover Winners and some finalists have not disappointed us and have used their covers to open many doors to becoming successful.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is being financially comfortable, being able to provide a platform that will bless others in hopes that this will lead them to be financially comfortable as well. I think every man’s dream is to be able to one day buy his parents home while having a nice one for himself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kravemagazine.net
- Email: info2@kravemagazine.net
- Instagram: @krave_magazine
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/KraveMagazine
Image Credit:
Photographers: Eric Ganison, Maya Guez & Will Sterling
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