Feats of Labor

There’s predominantly only one fashion publication – Hercules– that has a tight focus on the Mediterranean lifestyle – from the food to the sartorial choices of locals to the understated sexiness. David Vivrido and Francesco Sourigues are the magazines two co-founders, and with over 2,500 pages of editorial spreads under their belt, they’ve decided to showcase their career highlights in a limited edition book. Here, Life+Times captures the making of Hercules Universal.

DAVID VIVIRIDO

Life + Times: What does Mediterranean sensuality mean to you?
DAVID VIVIRIDO: To me, Mediterranean sensuality immediately has to do with a way of life – the warmth of the sun, the breeze of the sea, the smell of nature and the food. It also is about all the little things we love to do while on holidays like grabbing a cup of coffee and drinking it on a terrace while reading the paper.

L+T: What steps did you take to ensure that you achieved this aesthetic with the images that were chosen?
DV: To start with, being Spanish has a great deal to do with the understanding of what the word ‘Mediterranean’ means. Translating the Mediterranean sensuality into imagery is pretty straightforward, as there are few questions you want to ask yourself while producing or editing images and stories: Is it sexy? Is it timeless? Is it iconic? But overall, the main question is focused on whether or not it is aspirational.