System magazine is an Anglo-French biannual publication geared toward insiders of the fashion industry. The magazine offers long-format conversations with relevant individuals within the fashion industry, accompanied by portfolios created by image-makers.
History and inspiration
System derives its name from the name of a successful historical American magazine, "the magazine of business," introduced by A.W. Shaw in 1900.
Founded by Alexia Niedzielski, Elizabeth von Guttman, Jonathan Wingfield, and Thomas Lenthal in 2003, System was initially published by Tartan Publishing, which Niedziedski co-founded.
Mike Obenson officially bought the publication in 2020. With him System continued to evolve as an influential media brand, including the launch of another annual sister publication 'System Beauty' in 2022 and expanding digital formats.
Relaunch
However, in December 2024, it was announced that the original team - Elizabeth von Guttman, Thomas Lenthal, and Jonathan Wingfield - reacquired the title. In May 2025, the three launched a new bi-annual "System Collections" which will offer a “time capsule” of key looks from fashion month.
Editorial board
Elizabeth von Guttman, Thomas Lenthal, and Jonathan Wingfield are the members of the editorial board for the magazine.
Prior to System, von Guttman worked as contributor at Industrie magazine. She previously worked with Alexia Niedzielski in the founding and editing of Ever Manifesto, a publication focused on sustainability in fashion; Niedzielski and Guttman also co-founded (with Charlotte Casiraghi) Ever Consulting, the publisher of the manifesto. Today von Guttman is increasingly focused on the Altava Group, a metaverse company focused on creativity in fashion through generative AI.
Jonathan Wingfield has previously been editor-in-chief of Numéro and Numéro Homme magazines for twelve years.
Thomas Lenthal has been the creative director of Numéro and French Glamour.
System Collections No. 1 "Autumn/Winter 2025-2026"
System Collections No. 2 "Spring/Summer 2026"
Notable features
Collier Schorr photographed Charlotte Casiraghi in the eighth issue of the magazine. In a gender fluid framework, Casiraghi modeled clothing from the Guccimenswear line. Schorr's objective was to challenge notions of constructed gender identity, with Casiraghi as a muse ("Gucci muse with a royal bloodline") whose heritage (as a granddaughter of Grace Kelly and a Grimaldi scion) links her with archetypes associated with Hollywood and royalty.
System no.18 came with a supplement produced by Les Rendez-vous Littéraire rue Cambon, edited by Charlotte Casiraghi, and featuring actress Keira Knightley, literary scholar Fanny Arama, and literary critic Erica Wagner. The supplement highlighted the literature and lives of Virginia Woolf and Gabrielle Chanel, especially the way these women led movements of freer expression for women, i.e. Woolf's influence with the Bloomsbury Group and how the founder of Chanel led the fashion to give women free movement.
↑"Fanny Arama". Philomonaco (in French). Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco. Retrieved 1 July 2026. Fanny Arama est agrégée de lettres modernes et docteure en littérature française.