Mature Magazine aims to inspire a generation of millennials

Growing up, Lansing native Oliver Brown was often told he was mature for his age. Those remarks stuck with him into adulthood, when he found himself questioning, “At what age does maturity start to show up in our lives?”

As a professional stylist, Brown, 31, saw a generation of millennials redefining what it means to be “mature.” At the same time, while working with magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, he was becoming disillusioned with the rigorous editorial standards and rules he had to follow. He decided to develop his own millenial-focused publication, Mature Magazine.

“I wanted to create something that I could write my own rules for. I could go against the grain,” he said.

He began to piece together what he wanted the magazine to look like and the types of stories he wanted to tell. The driving force was his own story of teaching himself the ins and outs of being a stylist, without any mentors or apprenticeships.

“I feel like those stories are so important to tell. I wanted to highlight other millennials who have similar stories,” he said. “Whether they’re in fashion or arts or politics or whatever, I just feel like the millennial generation is really redefining what working in these industries looks like on our own terms, and that’s really the basis of what this magazine is and what I wanted to start with.”

The digital magazine launched with the publication of its first cover story on Aug. 1, 2024, an interview with actress and singer Raven-Symoné and her wife, Miranda Maday.

“Our first one being Raven and Miranda, that was huge for us,” Brown said.

Since then, Mature has published cover stories on Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Alex Isley, the niece of Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers, and New Orleans-based singer Dawn Richard, who began her career as a member of the girl group Danity Kane and musical trio Dirty Money in the 2000s and early 2010s.

“She’s been an artist for so long,” Brown said of Richard. “She was actually the first celebrity client that I styled, I went to New Orleans to work with her, so that was a full circle moment for us.”

The magazine also publishes a range of shorter profiles, essays and Q&As focusing on fashion, design, arts and culture.

“With our interviews, I feel like that’s where our goal lies right now. We just really want to uncover the hidden techniques of artists,” Brown said.

Past interview subjects have included actors Fiona Rene and Evan Hofer, DJs Sky Jetta and BuddaFly Wolf, pop musician Ashlee Keating and fashion designer Viola Wan.

“We’ve been blessed and very grateful to highlight some people who are outside of Michigan that have an impact, whether that’s on TV, on the radio, whether that’s just an influencer in their own right,” he said. “We’re cultivating stories that are inspiring people based off of these amazing people in these different industries.”

Brown said there’s a sense of education in Mature’s stories because, to him, he’s “still that little boy from Lansing who Googled everything to get to where I am today.”

“If it’s inspiring, if it’s moving, and if it can show you how to be a better person and how to choose yourself and put yourself first, those are the stories that we want to tell,” he said.

Mature’s staff consists of 11 people, including Brown, who serves as editor in chief.

“I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them,” he said. “We’re growing, and I’m so happy that they’re growing with me.”

The team creates content “when we’re feeling inspired,” he said, not sticking to a set publishing schedule.

“We’re not following the rules of, you know, a cover a month or four covers a year. We’re creating based on feeling, based on time, based on what is moving us and moving the culture.”

Brown’s work as a stylist often takes him to major cities like New York and Los Angeles, but his full-time home is Lansing, where his family lives.

“I find myself, when I’m in these larger cities, needing a time to breathe, needing a time to be in a place that’s familiar to me, and Lansing is that for me,” he said.

Mature’s launch party was in LA so the cover stars could attend, but this time around, for the magazine’s one-year anniversary, Brown is bringing the party to the Lansing Shuffle.

“I wanted to celebrate with my friends and family who really have supported me throughout the years, who really have been there from the beginning,” he said. “It was important for me to have this party here in Lansing, to give the community a chance to see what was built right here in our own city.”

The event aims to highlight local millennials “who are redefining what it means to be mature” through a panel discussion, performances by hip-hop artist MikeyyAustin and pop/funk/R&B band The Love Effect, a fashion contest and a dance party with DJ JMT.

In the magazine’s next year, and beyond, Brown hopes to start publishing an annual print edition, offer some subscriber-only content, feature more big-name cover subjects — Keke Palmer and Ciara came to mind — and launch a podcast.

“We really want to dominate the digital space,” he said. “I feel like people don’t read as much as they used to anymore, so how can we create content to meet people where they are? I feel like podcasting is the next step for us.”

The ultimate goal? To eventually cultivate a global following, far beyond the borders of Lansing.

“I mean, our first cover star was Raven-Symoné. She’s a millennial who not only redefined what it means to be mature, but she’s still doing it. It doesn’t get more national than Raven, if you ask me,” Brown said. “We want to reach the world, but we’re starting with our community first.”