Though the current outlook might be gloomy, Dazed & Confused is excited and optimistic about the new wave of creative talent shaping and colouring our futures. Writing for this week's Independent, Dazed & Confused fashion editor Katie Shillingford said, "Our fashion horizon is positive and thriving, despite the panic that the credit crunch has inflicted on the industry. The creators are creating more than ever before.... optimism is a must, and our outlook is multicoloured!" After scouting out the most exciting new photographers, designers, models and stylists of the moment, Dazed & Confused is this month showcasing the year's hottest new fashion talent in its own inimitable style.

Also in this issue, we investigate Beijing's flourishing young creative underground, and talk to Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk about the forthcoming screen adaptation of his cult novel Choke. We also profile rising art star Alex da Corte, while Japan's notorious purveyor of erotic photography, Noboyushi Araki, talks us through his personal archive. Harmony Korine introduces his previously unpublished zines from the last 15 years, plus we eat cake with hotly-tipped electro-pop duo HeartsRevolution, and meet Savannah Knoop, the alter-ego behind literary hoax phenomenon J.T. Leroy.