One’s a fashion superstar and the other, a wizard with the pen. Agyness Deyn and Fiona Byrne might be best friends in real life, but online, they form the Wintour/Coddington partnership with their joint-venture, Naag.



Launched just a month ago, Naag is an online magazine that covers the fashion, arts and culture beats; and where Deyn is its creative director, Byrne helms the editorial masthead.

The ebullient Deyn broke into the fashion scene with her cropped hair and self-styled individuality, and has modeled for the likes of Mulberry and Vivienne Westwood, among other top fashion houses and personalities.

Partner-in-crime Byrne might be somewhat of a music geek, but she’s equally hooked on the sartorial side of things as well. The ex-NME.com writer, who counts grunge and Britpop as her style 'mentors', thinks that without music, fashion would be in a very different place.

TAXI speaks to the two friends-slash-magazine partners on their latest project together, what inspires them, and the magic of New York City.

TAXI Hi Agyness and Fiona, thanks for taking a ride with TAXI. Agyness, you’re one of fashion’s freshest faces, and Fiona, you’ve written for publications like New York Magazine and NME.com, among others. Tell us how the idea to collaborate on Naag came about.

Agyness Deyn (AG) Fiona and I were at a music festival sheltering from the torrential rain. I said to her “let's start a website” and Fiona was like “really...ok, rad”.

TAXI The highlight of Naag, for me, is its fashion spreads. The full-screen gorgeousness and intuitive navigation tools make the magazine seem a lot more print-like than at your average online stop. Do you think enhanced sites like Naag might see to the demise of the glossy?

Fiona Byrne (FB) I hope the print magazines never go away, but I know it’s increasingly hard to keep them alive with a lot of advertisers now turning their spend towards digital.

I would hope that digital sites for existing magazines start to make enough money to keep their print sisters alive. I think the major ones will manage somehow.

AG I love print magazines. I'm always excited to buy my favorite ones. Nothing beats the sensory experience. I love flicking through with smell and crispness of the pages. I would be really upset if they disappeared.

TAXI Living and working between New York and London sounds as hectic as it does thrilling, especially while checking out interesting joints to feature. What do you do in the city when you’ve just had too much?

FB There’ll be a day every now and then when we just get coffee and shop, maybe have our nails done and all that stuff. We ride our bikes everywhere, and that gives such a sense of freedom.

If I’ve had a particularly hectic string of nights out I just stay home for a few days, eat healthy food and watch Bravo. That’s how I reboot.

AG I love being outdoors getting fresh air. I love to curl up in bed and watch movies. Turn my phone off and read a book.

TAXI Agyness, you’ve worked first hand with top designers, stylists and photographers. Was the jump to being creative director the logical ‘next step’ of your modeling career?

AG I really enjoy putting things together. Clothes, music mixes, art on my walls. It's just another fun way to be creative.



TAXI Fiona, since your editorial days at NME.com, was fashion already a major part of your life? How do you think your music writing background comes into Naag’s picture?

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FB I have always been into music and that definitely influence how I dressed -- from the whole early 90s grunge thing to Britpop.

I think New York style has always been hugely influenced by music. Aggy and I both like elements of 1970s downtown New York style -- she’s more The Ramones and I’m more Blondie though [Laughs].

I would say my music background has a lot to do with Naag. I started reading Melody Maker and NME at 15, and the gig and festival lifestyle basically formed my entire social life.

Naag is about a lifestyle, and music is a big part of ours.



TAXI Which fashion designer right now best exemplifies ‘New York’?

FB For me it’s definitely Alexander Wang. His clothes epitomize downtown, and that is our New York. They are chic and cool but in no way desperate or contrived. That guy kills me. I love him.

AG What she said! [Laughs]

TAXI Besides fashion designers, who are some of your favorite designers or artists from other disciplines?

FB I like Jeff Koons. I went to a party at his studio last winter and got to see his pieces in progress so that was a real thrill. In design, I love mid-century modernists like Frank Lloyd Wright and those from the Bauhaus.

AG I love the Chapman brothers so much! I love how dark they are but in a weird way with a sense of humor. They blow my mind!


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TAXI The ‘Places’ section in Naag jumps from restaurants in New York, to shops in Auckland, to a tiny island off the coast of Belize. It’s probably safe to say both of you are a globetrotting bunch; which city or place do you find most inspiring?

FB Definitely New York. I have never experienced the kind of feelings I feel here. On one visit before I moved here I remember standing on the corner of 14th and Seventh and thinking “I have to live here”.

After being away, returning to New York is like returning to a person, you get the feeling of being back in the arms of a person you love. Even if you’ve had the best vacation of your life on a Caribbean island, going home is never painful because you’re returning to New York City.

You can do anything you want here, there are no limits and every door opens, all you have to do is knock. Sometimes you have to knock more than once, but it will open. I think anyone who says it’s a hard city just doesn’t knock loud enough.

AG I love living in New York but home is wherever I am. I love the place that I'm at in that moment. I’m an explorer at heart. I have so much more I want to see and experience.

TAXI What is the word you think will continue to reside in and reverberate through the creative industries over the next 10 years?

FB I think ‘communication’.

Before the internet and cell phones first started to become a part of every day life I kept hearing about how communication was about to change forever but I could never have imagined basically living like the Jetsons. The concept of Skype blew my mind when it was first introduced.

AG It’s two words but ‘HARD WORK’.

I think that hard work is so important as nothing is given on a plate. Hard work is real and always a factor in success in any industry and the rewards from it are so much more fulfilling.




All photos are courtesy of Matthew Daniel Siskin of designedmemory. Matthew is also the designer behind the Naag website.