alpha omega magazine issue 1: awakening

A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G A

// A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G A // A L P H A // O M E G







































L P h

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ISSUE 1 Awakening

co-founder//editor-in-chief co-founder//creative director

art director

AMANDA NGUYEN ANDREW PHILIP NGUYEN

HIEN PHAN

featured

story tellers beauty editors

TINA CHIOUDARRYL GARCIA

ANDREW LECARLO NAVARRO

TRANG NGHIEMPATRICK YANDOC

CASIE CONWAYCHRISTINA DELFINO

SHAWNA HENRIE JULIA KIM

EGLE MICIENESHAHIDA TAHIR

contact

www.alphaomegamag.com

[email protected]

IG: @alphaomegamagazine // FB: Alpha Omega Magazine

TWITTER: @alphaomegamag

A W A K E N I N GThe word “Awakening” commands your attention. The definition itself means

to become suddenly aware of your surroundings, or a feeling. Through the

conception of our first issue, something from inside us awoke in which we could

not ignore. It commanded our attention and it burned so deeply that we had

to answer its call. With this new publication, located in the heart of Orange

County, California, our focus is to shine a new light on the creative talent that

resides here. Throughout the first issue, there is an underlying biblical theme.

Call it a spiritual awakening if you will. From “La Femme Garconne” our

female lead takes on more of an androgynous façade. She dons men's

clothing, something that would have been completely sacrilegious in biblical

times. In our beauty story “Beauty Baptism” we see our stunning forest

nymphs float down a river covered in rich hues and vibrant colors. Next “In

Transit” follows our girl throughout her day and we peek into the way she

dresses from morning, noon to night. Mythological sequined goddesses

“Aphrodite” emerges from the sea to lure unsuspecting men to their inevitable

doom with their siren call in our next story. Finally, we end our first issue

with “The Temptation of Adam”, man’s original sin. Our Eve follows the

traditional narrative of the apple but we have to put our own distinctive twist

on things. She is cleaned and polished in the nude, but as soon as she starts to

wear her couture garments to hide her shame behind the clothes, she becomes

more and more wild and disheveled. In the book of revelation, in the New

Testament of the Bible, God declares “I am Alpha and Omega. The first and

last”. Alpha and Omega are also the first and last letters of the Greek

Alphabet. We are now proud to present our inaugural issue-Awakening.

With humble hearts, we give you ALPHA OMEGA MAGAZINE,

the first and last word in fashion.

Love,

A&A

T A B L E of C O N T E N T S

La Femme Garconne p. 9

Beauty Baptism p. 19

In Transit p. 29

Aphrodite p. 43

Temptation of Adam p. 53

Awakening:[uh-wey-kuh-ning]

adjective

1. rousing

noun

2. the act of awaking from sleep.

3. a revival of interest or attention.

For a while now, it has been a dream of mine to launch a fashion

magazine based in the heart of my hometown - Orange County. I never thought I would get around to it or even how to get it off the ground let alone actually start one. I figured it was just going to be one of those fantasies I had, content with dreaming and constantly talking about it but it never coming into fruition. But what I’ve quickly learned in my life that whatever I put my mind too slowly but surely becomes reality, with a little help of course. Luckily for me I had the help of my partner, Amanda Nguyen. Where I am the definition of a day-dreamer/head-in-the-clouds type, my counterpart Amanda is a ferocious go-getter with a plan. With our Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington like dynamic, we’ve been unstoppable. I am so proud of the work we’ve produced for this inaugural issue in which we’ve titled “Awakening”. A passion of the fashion industry has been burning

inside the both of us and we’ve finally harnessed that fire and focused it into this outlet. So in a literal sense we’ve been awaken by this desire to create and finally share our voice and vision. The outpour of support has truly been so meaningful to the both of us and I could not be happier to present you with our first issue. Enjoy all our hard work and in the end, I hope this publication will be something you keep around to reference. Our end goal is to create something that will leave a lasting legacy even after we’re long gone. I want the images that we publish and produce to be as iconic as the images that came before us. I hope what you see in this issue inspires you to do what you love as it has inspired me.

xx,

Andrew Philip Nguyen

Co-Founder // Creative Director

Growing up I always enjoyed doing art projects in school, I

had a knack for being creative through various mediums and

art forms. While studying dance at a performing arts high

school, I became heavily involved in my yearbook class. I

enjoyed taking photos, interviewing students, editing the photos

and laying out the yearbook pages. The most rewarding and

exciting part of being on staff and eventually in the role of co

Editor in Chief was to receive the published hard copies at the

end of the year which was that tangible object representing all

the hard work that went into making it.

Fast forward to present time and I've created a brand through

my style blog which has led me to meet Alpha/Omega

Magazine co-editor Andrew, as well as explore multiple facets

of fashion such as editorial writing, fashion reporting, wardrobe

styling, and modeling. When Andrew approached me about

forming a fashion magazine together, I knew I had to explore

this venture; both he and I have worked with and collaborated

with many talented artists (models, hair/make up artists,

photographer, and designers) and it was the perfect

opportunity to mix my business savvy nature with my passion for

fashion. Andrew feeds this publication with countless,

innovative and exciting editorial concepts, and I help him

execute it. This is the inaugural issue, which Andrew and I had

only been discussing a little over a year ago, we are excited to

share our 'baby' and artistic vision through this magazine. Thank

you to the A/O team as well as all of our friends and family that have supported us unconditionally, this is dedicated to you.

Amanda T. NguyenCo-Founder // Editor-In-Chief

“Working with AO Magazine on their first issue

“AWAKENING” was an exciting and energizing

experience. Andrew and Amanda bring a fresh perspective

and new energy to art and fashion. While their team

maintains a very professional ethic, they also bring a sense

of youth and innovation that only a start-up magazine can

achieve. As a fashion photographer, I found the synergy

between my studio and AO’s directions to be exhilarating.

I look forward to working with AO again in the near and

far future.”

-Trang Nghiem

“Alpha Omega and the crew were a pleasure to work

with. It was a fun and exciting project and I'm glad to be

a part of it. My favorite part of the experience was that it

was a group collaboration with one vision and to see

such creative individuals come together and work

towards one vision was amazing.”

-Shahida Tahir

“Beauty Baptism was one of my favorite shoots to work

on so far in my career!!! The energy and positive creativity

that the magazine is about is contagious!!! As a hair stylist

and makeup artist I could it have asked for a better team

to work with or a better project.”

-Casie Conway

C O N T R I B U T O R S

“Vision. Plan. Execute. It is truly satisfying to work with

like-minded creative professionals. Things go really

smoothly when you work with such passionate and

dedicated individuals.”

-Andrew Le

“Working with Alpha Omega Magazine was a great

experience. They were extremely organized and knew

exactly what type of images they wanted. The crew was

really nice and gave off a great vibe. I loved the images

that we produced together am looking forward to

working with them many more times in the future! Great

experience overall.”

-Darryl Garcia

To be completely honest, I have no idea what

I'm doing when it comes to graphic design. I

took a semester of Photoshop back in

college, but even then I considered my skills

at a basic level. After finishing the course, I

took on an internship opportunity for a

blogger in Los Angeles. Ironically enough, the

position required me to work on Photoshop

majority of the time. There were times when

I wanted to claw my eyes out from staring at

my laptop for 8 hours, but in the end it

was worth it. The internship really shaped my

interest in layouts and typography; since my

role was to create collages for the blog. My

strength is in visuals, and figuring out what

catches the eye. I like my layouts to be clean

and simple, but at the same time I'm always

trying to figure out what can I add or change

so that it catches someone's attention. Even

if the reader pauses for an extra second to

look at the picture, I've successfully done my

job.

When Andrew and Amanda asked me to

come on board as the Art Director for Alpha

Omega Magazine, I didn't have a doubt in my

mind since I admired the vision and direction

the magazine was going towards. I'm very

lucky to work with such amazing people who

are all so talented in what they do. Seeing all

of their hard work in the final photos really

inspires me to do my best in making sure that

these images are best represented.

-Hien Phan

LA

It’s no longer a BOYS ONLY club. Structured lines and sharp tailoring

make any outfit one not to mess with. Hard and soft fabrics along with

masculine yet feminine lines create the perfect balance for a working

wardrobe. She’s androgynous with just the right amount of sex appeal.

She’s one of the boys now…

Photographer: PATRICK YANDOC

Model: SYDNEY STEINAKER

Hair & Mua: CHRISTINA DELFINO

Assistant: HIEN PHAN

Clothes: PORTER SOUTH

9

B E A U T Y 19

B A P T I S M

Bathe yourself in the brightest colors this season.

Don’t be afraid to make a statement in saturated

hues of hot pinks and electric blues. Let the colors

wash over and help you let your beauty shine

through.

Photographer: TINA CHIOU

Models: Caitlyn Calhoun & Talia Williamson

Hair & Makeup: Casie Conway

Floral Arrangement: Shawna Henrie

nransit

From morning, noon to night. Sunrise to sunset. Beginning to end. The

world is her runway, and she will dress as she see fits.

Photographer: ANDREW LE

Model: ALISON BANKS


29

nransit

From morning, noon to night. Sunrise to sunset. Beginning to end. The

world is her runway, and she will dress as she see fits.

Photographer: ANDREW LE

Model: ALISON BANKS


She is risen from the waters, a mermaid goddess of sorts dripping in

sequins. A temptress of man, hear her siren call.

Photographer: DARRYL GARCIA

Models: THU NGUYEN & MONICA MUNGUIA

Hair & Makeup: SHAHIDA TAHIR

Videographer: CARLO NAVARRO

43

She is the original sin, taste the forbidden fruit of man.

Photographer: TRANG NGHIEM

Model: KIERA SMITH

Hair: EGLE MICIENE

Makeup Artist: JULIA KIM

53

Temptation

ADAMof









































OMEG

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alpha omega magazine issue 1: awakening

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