Planted #1
The Seed Issue
In response to the growing popularity of urban green lifestyles and gardening, Mainichi Shinbunsha (publishers of Mainichi Shinbum, one of Japan’s largest Daily Newspapers) approached Knee High to produce a publication that would be a guide to “Life with Plants on this Planet.” And so Planted was born. Lucas Badtke-Berkow, the president of Knee High Media, served as the magazine’s Creative Director while Ito Seiko was brought in as Editorial Director. Planted came to be above all a celebration of nature and its great, if at times inconspicuous, power. By filling our daily lives with green, Planted showed a way towards more balance, better health and greater happiness in our modern urban reality . The first issue of our beloved Planted graced a cover illustration by Hiro Sugiyama and logo design by Yasushi Fujimoto+cap studio. The first issue, titled Seed, features content which establishes the magazine’s ethos, such as an opening message from Lucas B.B., Ito Seiko and designer Yasushi Fujimoto. Successive pages in this issue focus on ‘Planting seeds above Ground’, interviews with planted related artists like architect Terunobu Fujimori or Patrice Julien a guide for Tokyo residents on what to do with their verandas, products from plants such as guitars, shoes, edibles, our flower girl section, a photo editorials by Lon van Keulen and Comme de Garcons. There’s also a love-themed A to Z of Plants pull-out guide, a pull-out poster of our illustrated front cover for your coloring pleasure and even an actual seed for your gardening pleasure.
