It didn’t take days, it didn’t take months, it took years to sculpt Grand Rapids’ newest and only fashion magazine “A La Mode.”

It was the glitz and glamour of “Vogue” that lit the fire for Editor-in-Chief Alysha Nauta.

“I had always wanted to work at ‘Vogue’ and that was my biggest dream,” Nauta said. “I just really wanted to move out to a big city and work for a magazine, and I decided that there are so many creative people in Grand Rapids—there are so many good connections and so many different ways that we can build the community—that I wanted to start something of my own that would give the people in Grand Rapids a creative outlet.”

From the first spark to the first issue, Nauta said she takes inspiration from the city by using local designers, photographers and writers. By encouraging the community to send her story ideas or photography concepts or tips on fashion, Nauta hopes that the magazine will be for the community.

A lot of people have been supportive, but the team at “A La Mode” has also faced a lot of negativity, Nauta said.

“There was a lot of people that told me that I couldn’t do it and that it wasn’t realistic and it wasn’t a cost efficient way to make money and I wasn’t going to make a living,” Nauta said. “I still have people that tell me that even though I have an issue out but I felt like I really proved a lot of those people wrong.”

Although Nauta wants the magazine to be all about the city, she said the essence of the publication is a direct reflection of herself.

“I think it is a very direct reflection of me,” Nauta said. “The magazine is always changing and being innovative…it is a reflection of me because it is always original.”

Nauta hopes that the buzz “A La Mode” gets in Grand Rapids will spread throughout the U.S.

“I want ‘A La Mode’ to be in all the major cities,” Nauta said. “I want there to be an ‘A La Mode: LA,’ I want there to be an ‘A La Mode: NYC,’ an ‘A La Mode: Chicago.’ I really think in those big cities is what I want to happen is I want those big cities to have that magazine and I want each big city to have their own creative team so none of the context that you see in ‘A La Mode: Grand Rapids’ will be in the magazine ‘A La Mode: LA.’ It will be all different boutiques, all different designers contingent upon the city it’s in.”

But before “A La Mode” takes the streets of major cities, “It is going to stand in this city and it isn’t going anywhere,” Nauta said.

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