Interview With Karine Torr

With Wimbledon being a hotspot for entrepreneurial women, Janie Smith, Arts and Culture Editor at LadyWimbledon.com interviews Karine Torr as this bold, intelligent and incredibly accessible woman prepares to celebrate ten years editing Darling Magazine.

Darling magazine is a self-styled magazine for curious and sociable women designed to reflect life in the vibrant suburbs of South West London and beyond. Published four times a year, every cover celebrates a special power woman with the inside pages jam packed with inspiring and original editorial.

Janie Smith: What drew you to the idea of Darling Magazine ten years ago?

Karine Torr: More than anything else, a need for connection. I had a few close friends for company, but with three young children at home and a husband flying around the world, I felt isolated from the community I lived in. I was used to the South African habit of popping in and out of other people’s homes, unannounced but always welcome. Wimbledon seemed stiff by comparison. When I understood the English obsession for privacy I realised I had to find another way. I wanted a network, a forum or a way of connecting, and what better way to do that than with a magazine for women, about women in the area, and written by women.

J.S: What excites you most about editing Darling Magazine?

K.T: I love the endless supply of stories, the amazing things that women accomplish that don’t make the headlines. Every issue is a new adventure, a chance to unearth the wonderful talents and achievements of the women who make this community so special. Just when I think I’ve exhausted the possibilities, or I imagine I know everyone worth knowing, another extraordinary story pops up to make me realise why it’s worth all the effort that goes into producing another issue. I find people endlessly fascinating, and my readers do too.

Darling Magazine’s Cover Girls | Image credit: Darling Magazine

J.S: You are a champion of women, have you ever considered creating a version of Darling Magazine for men?

K.T: No. Men seem to me to have a different way of connecting. Even though the research shows that they’re just as likely to gossip, which is a vital way of sharing important social information, they like to pretend that they’re detached from it. Perhaps that sounds terribly sexist, because of course there are wonderful men who are just as involved in the community as any women are, often more so, but I suspect that, like my husband, they are more given to analysis than they are to reflection. And Darling is very much about reflecting on the issues of particular interest to women, and about celebrating their successes no matter how spectacular or humble.

J.S: Where do you see Darling Magazine heading in the next ten years?

K.T: While the tactile enjoyment of the printed magazine will always be a part of the Darling mix, we’re going to be extending the Darling digital platform to make it “live” and topical, a hub for all the news and views that crop up between the publication of the four seasonal print issues. Watch this space!

Karine Torr being presented with the Andrew Wakefield Merton Best Business Award

J.S: What plans do you have to celebrate the first decade of Darling Magazine?

K.T: What else but networking? That’s our passion, and there’s no better way to celebrate our tenth anniversary than with occasion that brings the wonderful women of Wimbledon together to share and connect. It will also be a chance to look back at all our cover girls and the amazing gallery of social pictures we’ve collected over the past decade.

J.S: As a respected and award-winning business woman, what three tips would you give any budding entrepreneurial female out there?

K.T: Do what you love, and love what you do. It takes energy, commitment and focus, but make sure that all the details, irritations and complexities of running a business never get in the way of your original inspiration. Articulate your purpose as concisely and as clearly as you can, then carve it in stone to remind you every day why it’s all worth it.

Darling Magazine is published four times a year and is distributed to more than 10,000 homes and businesses across SW19 and SW20. To find out more about Karine Torr and her work click here >.