New York Verve is proud to feature Kaylene Peoples, the visionary founder and editor in chief of AGENDA Magazine, a publication that has seamlessly blended the worlds of fashion, culture, art, and music for over two decades. Renowned as a “renaissance woman,” Peoples has built a legacy that spans publishing, music composition, filmmaking, and fashion journalism.
With AGENDA’s strong roots in Los Angeles and New York, Peoples’ editorial vision reflects both cities’ influence, but it is New York’s unapologetic energy and diversity that have most profoundly shaped her storytelling. Through an unwavering commitment to depth, context, and authenticity, Peoples has positioned AGENDA not just as a magazine, but as an archive of culture, a time capsule of style, and a platform for voices that matter.
In this exclusive New York Verve conversation, Kaylene Peoples shares her journey, inspirations, and philosophy behind building one of the most respected names in independent publishing.
1. AGENDA Magazine has become a recognized, branded publication with strong roots in Los Angeles and New York. How has New York City influenced your vision and editorial voice?
Kaylene Peoples: “New York is a city that dares you to keep up — and rewards you when you do.”
New York has always embodied energy, diversity, and reinvention — all qualities I’ve woven into AGENDA. While our readership is global, New York sets the tone for the kind of bold, unfiltered storytelling I love. It’s a city where fashion, art, and culture collide in unexpected ways, and that electric spirit has profoundly shaped my editorial voice.
When I founded the magazine, I had the rare privilege of experiencing what I call the “assembly-line” runway era. In my first five years covering fashion weeks—New York at Bryant Park and Lincoln Center, LA Smashbox, and Miami Swim—I sat through more than 1,600 fashion shows, installations, and presentations. I had a front-row seat to the garments, the craft, and the artistry, while interviewing an endless roster of designers, stylists, and models. That decade-long immersion became my training ground and the foundation of AGENDA’s editorial DNA.
From the beginning, I was drawn to the designers themselves — their process, their discipline, and what fueled their vision. It’s a career that demands relentless creation, a constant push for innovation, and it quickly earned my deep respect for the people who shape what we wear. New York provided some of my most exhilarating moments in the field — audacious presentations, A-list models and designers, and a press corps that seemed to orbit the globe. Many of those icons and their collections found a place in AGENDA’s pages, from Diane von Furstenberg to Alexander McQueen. In Los Angeles, it was Sue Wong, Kevan Hall, Monique L’Huillier, and many more. Even Project Runway talents such as Rami Kashou and Christian Siriano were given a platform in AGENDA.
2. Your “Fashion Talk” and “Fashion Archives” columns have carved out a distinct niche. What do you think sets your fashion perspective apart in today’s crowded media landscape?
Kaylene Peoples: “Fashion without history is just fabric — with it, it’s a language.”
I’m not chasing quick trends. I’m interested in the why behind fashion. My columns explore the history, cultural shifts, and creative influences that make style more than just clothing on a runway. I want readers to walk away with context, to understand fashion as a living, evolving language. That depth, I believe, is what keeps the work timeless.
In our most recent issue, A Renaissance Return, I did a retrospective on designer Patrick Kelly. In past issues, Fashion Archives has featured Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Paco Rabanne, Madame Grès, costume designer Edith Head, and even more obscure but influential figures like Gareth Pugh and Manish Arora. With Fashion Talk, I realized that to fully appreciate today’s fashion, readers need to understand its history.
Fashion Talk has offered commentary-retrospectives on everything from the evolution of fashion to trendsetting in film, from arbiters of style like Coco Chanel to detailed discussions on A-line versus empire cuts, even waist-training and corseting. There’s an endless wealth of history that should be uncovered so we can understand where our fashion comes from, and why we wear what we wear.
The research is the fun part. I see fashion as a dialogue between eras. When I write, I look for the threads—sometimes literal, sometimes figurative—that connect a vintage silhouette to a contemporary look. That bridge between past and present gives readers a sense of continuity and reveals how culture continually reinvents itself.
3. You’ve been called a “renaissance woman” for your work in publishing, music, film, and fashion. How do these worlds intersect for you creatively?
Kaylene Peoples: “Every art form speaks — I just happen to speak in several languages.”
For me, they’re all forms of storytelling. Whether I’m composing music, directing a film, or editing a magazine, it’s about creating an experience that resonates emotionally. Each medium informs the others — the rhythm of a song might inspire the pacing of an editorial layout, or a film’s visual palette might influence a fashion spread. Creativity has no bounds, and each project is like giving birth: unique, deeply personal, and very loved.
4. Having experienced both sides of media — as an editor/publisher and as a profile subject — what do you believe makes for an authentic, lasting story?
Kaylene Peoples: “The best stories let the subject breathe.”
Authenticity begins with allowing the subject’s voice to shine. Too often, I’ve seen profiles where the person disappears into the writer’s interpretation. The most memorable stories capture the essence of someone’s journey without stripping away their personality. That’s the standard I hold for AGENDA and the kind of coverage I value when I’m the subject.
5. Print media is becoming rare in a digital-first world. What drives your commitment to keeping AGENDA in print, and how do you see its role in modern publishing?
Kaylene Peoples: “Print is permanence. Pixels can’t replace that.”
Print is tangible. It has weight, permanence, and an artistry you can’t replicate on a screen. I believe there’s still a place for publications you can hold in your hands and revisit years later.
For me, keeping AGENDA in print isn’t nostalgia; it’s about honoring the craft of publishing and creating something that endures. I’ve said before that AGENDA is archivable — a time capsule that, long after I’m gone, will be studied and rediscovered. Each issue is a lesson in fashion, trends, discussion, and history, created well before AI began encroaching on the medium.
Legacy publishers like us have to fight to stay relevant, but people will return to authenticity and appreciate the talent and hard work that go into it. Artificial can only last so long before audiences start craving the real thing again. I’ve seen the same trend in music: electronic, AI-generated, and watered-down styles are starting to feel passé, while younger generations rediscover older music and embrace it. Fashion is similar; style never dies. Trends are fleeting, but the real thing is timeless.
6. Looking back on your multifaceted career, what milestones have defined your path the most?
Kaylene Peoples: “Every milestone is proof that limits are meant to be broken.”
MY MAN (with legendary guest artists Hubert Laws, Bunny Brunel, and Bobby Lyle on my award-winning reinterpretation of “Giant Steps”) validated my music career in a powerful way. Winning Composer of the Year for Vampire Odyssey was another milestone, confirming my work as a composer on an international stage.
Founding KL Publishing Group gave me the freedom to publish on my own terms, and it has since grown into a powerful home for multiple magazines, memoirs, and other works — amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard. Creating the “Fashion Talk” column also solidified my voice in the fashion world.
And, of course, launching AGENDA with the help of my mother, Lee, who taught me nearly everything I know about the medium, was a turning point. Those moments all shaped the trajectory I’m on today. I’ve always worked hard to give my best in whatever I pursue. If I don’t know something, I’ll learn it until I get it right. Being called a Renaissance woman means a great deal to me, because I was often told I could only excel at one thing. I think I proved them wrong.
7. For New York Verve readers meeting you for the first time, what’s the one thing you’d like them to remember about you?
Kaylene Peoples: “Trends are temporary. Truth is forever.”
That I believe in telling stories — whether in print, music, or film — that stand the test of time. Trends will fade, but authenticity, artistry, and passion never go out of style.
IG : @kaylenepeoples and @agendamag
