Dossier Journal

Dossier Journal is an independently published American magazine and media brand founded in 2008 by Skye Parrott and Katherine Krause. It began as a print publication combining fashion, visual art, photography, and creative writing, with an editorial approach that brought together established and emerging figures from several creative disciplines. The magazine's contributor network has included writers, artists, photographers, designers, musicians, and cultural commentators, reflecting a broad understanding of contemporary culture rather than a narrowly defined fashion-magazine format. The publication was initially known as Dossier Journal and published through 2015. Its early identity was associated with an independent, visually ambitious print culture that connected fashion imagery with literary and artistic work. The founding team included managing editor Erin Dixon and executive creative director Alex Wiederin. The magazine's contributors included figures such as Sherman Alexie, Jonathan Ames, David Armstrong, Matthew Dickman, Jennifer Egan, Nan Goldin, Kim Gordon, Rachel Maddow, Michael McKimm, Asako Narahashi, Yiyun Li, Michael Pollan, Robert Longo, Pamela Love, Zac Posen, Collier Schorr, Tom Sleigh, Alice Waters, and Francesca Woodman. These contributions indicate the publication's interest in crossing boundaries between editorial fashion, fine art, literature, food, photography, and public intellectual life. Dossier also extended beyond the magazine page into retail and place-based cultural programming. In April 2009, the founders collaborated with Molly McIver to open Dossier Shop on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn. The store gave the brand a physical setting and connected its editorial perspective with selected products and independent retail. In 2014, Dossier took over programming in New York's South Street Seaport neighborhood, curating a rotating group of shops and summer activities. In September of the same year, it opened a temporary retail store in New York in partnership with Etsy. These projects positioned Dossier as a cultural platform as well as a periodical. The brand received wider attention in May 2011 when Barnes & Noble censored an issue because its cover showed the androgynous model Andrej Pejic partially nude. The incident highlighted the magazine's willingness to publish provocative fashion imagery and placed it within broader debates about gender presentation, nudity, and the treatment of independent publications by major retailers. After its original publishing period ended in 2015, the brand returned in 2024 under the name Dossier Magazine. The relaunched publication is described as a travel and culture title, issued as a biannual print magazine supported by a weekly newsletter. This relaunch broadens the editorial emphasis from the earlier fashion-art-literature mix toward travel, place, and cultural discovery while retaining Dossier's independent publishing identity. No reliable public information in the supplied references establishes a corporate parent, owner, public listing, current executive team, or financial results.

Dossier Journal was established in 2008 by Skye Parrott and Katherine Krause as an independent American publication. Its original editorial program combined fashion, art, photography, and creative writing, giving it a position between a fashion magazine and a broader cultural journal. Erin Dixon served as managing editor and Alex Wiederin as executive creative director during the publication's early formation. The magazine drew contributors from literature, visual art, photography, music, design, food, and journalism, including Jennifer Egan, Nan Goldin, Kim Gordon, Michael Pollan, Robert Longo, Zac Posen, Alice Waters, and others. In April 2009, Dossier expanded into physical retail by opening Dossier Shop on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn. The shop was created through a collaboration involving the founders and Molly McIver. It represented an effort to make the publication's aesthetic and network tangible through a curated commercial space. The brand later pursued larger cultural and place-based projects. During the summer of 2014, Dossier curated a rotating selection of shops and programming in New York's South Street Seaport neighborhood. In September 2014, it also opened a New York pop-up retail store with Etsy. Dossier attracted attention in May 2011 when Barnes & Noble censored an issue because the cover featured androgynous model Andrej Pejic partially nude. The episode became a notable point in the publication's history because it exposed the tension between Dossier's boundary-pushing visual language and the retail standards of a large bookseller. It also connected the magazine to discussions about gender fluidity, representation, and the acceptability of nudity in commercial distribution. Dossier Journal published through 2015. The brand was relaunched in 2024 as Dossier Magazine, repositioned as a travel and culture publication. The new format consists of a biannual print magazine accompanied by a weekly newsletter. This later phase retains the independent publishing model and expands the subject matter toward travel, places, and cultural experience. The supplied reference material does not identify a parent company, current owner, current editor, financial performance, or a confirmed corporate headquarters beyond the brand's documented Brooklyn origins.

1. 2024Relaunched as Dossier Magazine

   The brand returned as a travel and culture publication with a biannual print magazine and weekly newsletter.

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2. 2015Original publication period ended

   Dossier Journal's original run as a fashion, art, and creative-writing publication ended.

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3. 2014South Street Seaport cultural takeover

   Dossier curated rotating shops and programming in New York's South Street Seaport neighborhood during the summer.

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4. 2014Etsy pop-up retail partnership

   Dossier launched a temporary New York retail store with Etsy.

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5. 2011Barnes & Noble cover censorship controversy

   Barnes & Noble censored an issue after objecting to its partially nude cover image of Andrej Pejic.

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6. 2009Dossier Shop opened in Brooklyn

   Dossier opened a concept store on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn in collaboration with Molly McIver.

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7. 2008Dossier Journal founded

   Skye Parrott and Katherine Krause launched Dossier Journal as an independently published magazine covering fashion, art, and creative writing.

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An independent, cross-disciplinary editorial brand connecting travel and culture with fashion, art, photography, literature, and creative communities.

• Dossier JournalPrint magazine2008

  The original publication, issued from 2008 through 2015, combined fashion photography and styling with visual art, creative writing, literary contributions, and cultural commentary. Its contributor roster crossed professional and disciplinary boundaries, helping establish Dossier as an independent magazine rather than a narrowly focused commercial fashion title.

• Dossier MagazineTravel and culture magazine2024

  The relaunch of the Dossier brand in 2024. Dossier Magazine is positioned around travel and culture and is published in a biannual print format, supported by a weekly newsletter. The supplied sources do not provide a detailed issue list, subscription information, or circulation figures.

• Dossier ShopConcept store2009

  A Brooklyn concept store opened in 2009 by the Dossier founders in collaboration with Molly McIver. It extended the magazine's editorial sensibility into curated physical retail and formed part of the brand's early effort to operate as a cultural platform.

• 2014South Street Seaport takeover

  New York City

  Dossier curated a summer rotation of shops and cultural programming across the South Street Seaport neighborhood, using place-based activity to extend the magazine's editorial identity.

  Outcome. The project broadened Dossier's role from magazine publisher to curator of retail and cultural experiences.

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• 2024Repositioning and relaunch as Dossier MagazineStrategy

  The original Dossier Journal publication had ended after publishing through 2015. The brand returned in a changed media environment and with a broader editorial focus.

  What changed. Dossier relaunched under the name Dossier Magazine as a travel and culture publication, using a biannual print magazine and weekly newsletter.

  Aftermath. The relaunch re-established the brand as an active independent publication while expanding its subject focus beyond the original fashion, art, and creative-writing mix.

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• 2011Barnes & Noble censorship of Andrej Pejic coverControversy

  Barnes & Noble censored an issue of Dossier Journal because its front cover showed androgynous model Andrej Pejic partially nude. The dispute brought attention to the magazine's provocative imagery and its treatment by a major retail distributor.

  Source

• 2024Dossier Magazine relaunched as a travel and culture publication

  The brand returned under the name Dossier Magazine with a biannual print magazine and a weekly newsletter focused on travel and culture.

  Product launch
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• 2014Dossier Journal launched a pop-up store with Etsy

  Dossier opened a temporary New York retail location in partnership with Etsy, extending its editorial and merchandising activity into physical retail.

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1. Dossier Journal
2. Dossier Journal official website