This month, we’re celebrating the launch of Mental Athletic, a new magazine that sits at the intersection of sport, nature, fashion and lifestyle. As the boundaries between each of those worlds continue to blur, Mental Athletic aims to capture the vibe of the moment. In other words, it’s a sports magazine, but it’s one that hits different.
As founder Gabriele Casaccia explained during Highsnobiety’s ISPO 520M event in Munich recently, the mag’s concept was born from evolution, from observing how street and underground cultures are connecting with sports and the outdoors today. “We are part of the [cultural] community that is changing,” he said, referencing how his own life has evolved from clubbing at 5 am to heading out for a run.
Once a firm fixture in Milan’s music and graffiti scenes, Casaccia is now an ardent runner. He found his footing 15 years ago and within a year had built a strong global community of like-minded enthusiasts. This “generation is growing,” he continues, “and so we want to have a positive message about when you play sports [and how it leads to] mindful wellness.”
As mental clarity is at the forefront of the magazine’s purpose, building a welcoming space for everyone is fundamental. Thus, the language Casaccia and his team use, both written and visual, is uplifting, enthusiastic and inspiring. Unlike other sports magazines, it’s not solely focused on extreme performance — although the lead interview is with the renowned Spanish runner and ski mountaineer Kílian Jornet — but about the joy of movement as a whole.
And aesthetically, Mental Athletic is more in line with contemporary lifestyle publications than your typical sports read. It’s full of stunning photography and style-conscious editorials and it doesn’t take itself too seriously (one of the cover stars for Issue 1 is a cow, for example). “We come from fashion,” says Casaccia, citing lifestyle tech brands like Slam Jam and Satisfy as two key inspirations. “We’re in the transition era for fashion — it’s not just outdoors or related to sports but a different way to use these terms. We [are offering] the contemporary view for athletic living.”
Fundamentally, he concludes, “running is a huge trend. We want to elevate [the sport] in a different way [and] talk to a different audience. We want to propose ourselves as a different reality that can be really disruptive and create something unexpected.”
Issue 1 of Mental Athletic is available to buy now.
