DISCOVERING ICONS IN THE MAKING: PRIMADONNA x NIKE

By Haneen Elmeswari AMC ‘24 & Emma Citro AMC ‘24

From her early days as a New Orleans native, Pilar Bradley told her parents she was going to be famous. A child with a vision for the future, Bradley chased her dreams all the way out to Manhattan. As a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she longed to pursue her dreams of becoming a journalist.

However, fate has an interesting way of stepping in. Bradley found herself feeling like she was ten steps ahead of everyone else. She then went on to launch her own creation, Primadonna Zine, which would later become such a trailblazer that it attracted the attention of the Nike executives.

Bradley, the founding Editor in Chief and Creative Director of Primadonna, had hopes of beginning her career as a contributing writer for big-name magazines, building up her portfolio, and then launching a publication of her own. But Primadonna had been in a creative incubator for years by this point, and surrounded by the inspiration of the city, Bradley took the leap of faith and put herself out there.

Bradley joined forces with Madison Collins, also a student at FIT, and asked her to be the Editor at Large, now Deputy Editor, after meeting her in a dorm room and

The Primadonna team initially started with 20 members, but within a year, they had over 900 applicants, mostly FIT students and some nationwide applicants. The team’s structure evolved from a small email-based talent pool to a larger team of writers, editors, directors, photographers, and stylists.

In May of 2022, The Marketing Director of Nike Women reached out to Primadonna after seeing a viral TikTok featuring some of their behind-thescenes footage. After hopping on a call with them, Bradley was offered an opportunity to collaborate with the American multinational conglomerate. Together, they would create a 22 page magazine, styled completely with Nike garments, showing “it’s more than just sportswear, it’s a lifestyle.”

Nike is presently in the midst of a strategic shift, evolving from its traditional focus on athletic wear into a formidable player in the fashion industry. This transition has yielded a remarkable 9.6% surge in their annual revenue since 2022, according to Statista. For them, collaborating with Primadonna marked yet another stride in that direction. However, Primadonna was treading to look to, so we did it the Primadonna way, ” Bradley explains, “We immediately went into a workshop.”

For Primadonna, this opportunity helped them solidify themselves within the industry, becoming a force to be reckoned with. “We were so grateful and excited, but also this gave us the sense that we knew Primadonna was amazing and now someone big knows it” says Collins.

Primadonna hosted a pop-up event in Brooklyn to launch the Nike collaboration issue titled “Cityscape” and the event was a huge hit. Influencers, brands, and creatives filled the block to show their love and support for Primadonna’s new chapter. “It hit me after the event, walking home, where I started bawling, crying,” says Bradley. Now Primadonna is looking to the future. When asked what they’re plans looked like, the co-editors beamed, expressing ambitions of wanting to become the ultimate creative hub. They also look forward to seeing copies of their magazine in brick and mortar stores and to one day have an office. They are also on a path to evolve beyond just a publication; their aspiration is to establish themselves as a prominent name within their industry. “It used to be solely about producing a magazine, but now it’s about cultivating a brand,” Bradley explains. “Magazines of the past were primarily created for information and entertainment. Respectfully, we don’t want to know what having an immediate connection. “I started brainstorming photoshoots, and wanted to find a way to bring print back with the right people,” explains Bradley.

One thing about Bradley and Collins, is that Primadonna is not some fun weekend activity for them, Primadonna is their future. “This is not a side project, this is a duty. We take ourselves very seriously,” says Bradley.

Established in 2021, Primadonna Zine is a New York City-based magazine with a Gen-Z focus. Its rise to prominence is attributed to its vibrant community and a pool of exceptionally talented contributors. Bradley notes, “There’s a unique energy at Primadonna that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Primadonna is a bi-annual publication that delves into a spectrum of topics, intersecting fashion, wellness, and culture. When asked about the driving force behind Primadonna, Bradley asserts, “There’s no other option other than to be amazing.” The publication’s core mission is to showcase “where the power of print meets the force of self-expression.” uncharted waters with this collaboration. Never before had a small Zine been asked to collaborate with an industry leader, and to make it all happen in a month. Nevertheless, the collaboration was a perfect fit. “The innovation shared between our two companies is our strongest connection,” Collins remarked. “If ‘Just do it’ wasn’t Nike’s slogan first, it could easily have been ours.”

Primadonna’s vision for this collaboration was to promote selfexpression and the freedom of movement within Gen Z. They aimed to shift the conversation of movement being purely for aesthetics, but rather a form of liberation. “That feeling of adrenaline that Nike creates aligns beautifully with our magazine,” Bradley remarks.

This special issue was only 1/5 the size of a regular issue. A standard Primadonna issue typically encompasses a diverse array of stories, including features, round-ups, and investigative pieces.

Few magazines have ventured into creating dedicated special edition issues for collaborations. “We had no other examples color nail polish Hailey Bieber is wearing. We want to tell the stories no one is talking about” Bradley adds.

Even as Primadonna grows and becomes the media powerhouse that its founders hope for it to be, Bradley and Collins want it to stay as your ‘Jenny from the block’—a hometown star who never forgets her roots and always remains connected to her audience.