When I was growing up in New York City, I didn’t have many magazines that I could relate to. We were loud, we made trends, we created culture, and we were underserved in many mainstream media spaces. I picked up this magazine a few times with my limited paychecks as a young intern, just because I saw covers that translated to me. Some of the first covers I remember were Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. It didn’t feel polished compared to the other mainstream magazines, and that’s what I loved about it. It was rebellious, cinematic before that became a thing, and it was curated with love, style, and had a message with little wording on it. It was clean, it was dramatic, it was just GIANT.
I saw GIANT Magazine as a creative machine that I wished I was part of, because in my little mind, I used to dream about how I could make the shoot better or how I could take something else and add it on to what they already did. It made me feel like I could do something that didn’t need to “fit” into what was being done, and it’s the main reason why I want this new version to still not fit in. One of my favorite covers was Maxwell, because it showed how sexy and mature a man can be without needing much of any other titles on that cover, and you knew exactly what it was trying to imply. Or what you felt you wanted to take from it. It made me want to create, and that’s why I’m bringing it back.
This is not a rebrand just because I have the ability to do it. This is a revival of a magazine that was so iconic before its time, it didn’t have the moment to keep going in the way it could have, especially in the world of social media. We’re in a new era, and this new phase of GIANT will be built for now. It will remain a visual platform, a podcast, a cultural lens. This is my love letter to the past GIANT team who made this magazine and my creative journey possible. The format may shift, but the story and culture GIANT built will remain the same.
I want to acknowledge everyone who made GIANT what it was. The original version, the legend Smokey Fontaine, Radio One, and the entire team who carried it through those different eras. What you created will forever hold power, not only for me, but for those of us who were able to experience it in its most beautiful moments. People still search for old covers and remember how it felt, and that’s not by accident. That’s ICONIC.
I’m now the fourth person or entity to rebuild GIANT, and I’m doing it with love, respect, and full creative energy. This version of GIANT will focus on the stories around culture, fashion, music, sports, and lifestyle, continuing to find the moments that shape who we are without asking for permission.
Thank you to everyone who made GIANT a culture legend in the magazine era. I see what you built, and now I want to keep building from here.
Gizelle Rivera
Editor-in-Chief, GIANT Magazine
