Launched in 2006, when Vivirido and Sourigues were both 25 years old, Hercules was the duo’s first brainchild. At the time of its inception, the bi-annual men’s fashion magazine was devoted to celebrating beautiful men. It was a bold, sexy and unabashedly aspirational proposition, and while the concept may have been risky, it paid off. While still a niche title, Hercules now sells in over 39 countries around the world, with a particularly strong commercial presence in the United States.
Their 2014 endeavour Vamp featured profiles and portraits of women at the top of their game, as well as fashion spreads shot by emerging photographers. “It’s about inspiring women with stories about other successful women. It’s not another magazine for fashion people; it’s for real women, power-women, women on top, who like beautiful things — clothes, hair, skin,” Sourigues said. Vamp, however, was only in circulation for approximately a year.
In 2016, the pair opened concept store At The Issue Ten, on Barcelona’s Avinguda Diagonal, a space that is equal parts bookstore, art gallery and design destination.
Vivirido and Sourigues, who hail from small towns in Spain and Argentina, respectively, cut their teeth in the heady editorial scene of London of the early 2000s, working as assistants and freelancers for titles such as The Face, Arena and Dazed & Confused. Sourigues got his start as a stylist; Vivirido in PR.
Finding the British fashion magazine scene cliquey and unreceptive to their sensibility, they decided to forgo London and create their own publication, following only their own rules, far away from the city’s established system and aesthetic codes.
“We couldn’t launch a magazine in London. It wouldn’t have survived because of the views we had and the editorial scene [at the time], so we thought, ‘OK, let’s channel our vision through a different country, an emerging country,'” they told BoF. The market for fashion magazines in the UK was crowded and competitive, but Spain was hungry for new titles, so Vivirido and Sourigues relocated to Barcelona. While Vivirido handles marketing, PR and advertising, Sourigues is in charge of layout, art direction and graphic design.
