DIEGO HOOKS: A SIGNATURE IN EXPANSION, BEYOND WHAT WAS CREATED
- Evely Oliveira
- 5 hours ago
- 6 min read
'SIGNATURE' COVER EDITION - GLOBAL ISSUE
Some stories can be told by the place where they began. Others, by the distance they managed to travel. Diego Hooks’ story may lie somewhere between the two.
Over the years, Hooks has ceased to be merely a magazine and become a universe of projects, encounters, and new possibilities. But to look at this journey simply as an expansion would be to overlook what is most interesting about it: the ability of an idea to remain recognizable even after taking on so many forms.
Perhaps that is precisely where this story takes on another dimension.
Not in a timeline marked by achievements, but in the decision to keep creating. To look at what does not yet exist and see room to build. To carry an idea forward until it reaches the point where it no longer belongs only to the person who imagined it.
Today, as Hooks enters a new chapter, the question is no longer simply what the magazine has become. It is what happens when a creation moves beyond its starting point and begins to exist in the lives of others.
Some projects grow because they find a market. Others, because they respond to a need. And then there are those that continue to grow because they carry a vision capable of finding new paths without losing their essence.
Hooks seems to belong to that last category.
That is why talking about the future does not mean leaving the past behind. It means recognizing what has remained through every change: a very particular way of seeing, choosing, connecting people, and setting ideas in motion.
It is at this point that the word Signature takes on another meaning.
A signature is not merely the name that appears at the end of a creation. It lies in what remains recognizable, even when everything around it changes.
In this issue, Diego Hooks speaks about origins, choices, transformation, and the future. About the dreams that found their way into the world, the people who became part of that journey, and the restlessness that continues to carry this story forward.
Because some people want to be where things happen.Others prefer to create the place where they can happen.
1. Hooks was born from a very personal idea. When you look back at that beginning, what was the need that existed at the time? What did you want to create that you couldn’t find anywhere else?
Hooks was born from a dream of mine: to become a communicator. I created a fashion blog when I was 15 years old. I had no followers or people supporting me at the time; it was completely anonymous. But inside my bedroom, I could sit down and write about fashion shows, international events, and launches from major brands. It was something of my own, almost like a game, as if I were playing at being a journalist.
And that “game” gradually became a path toward my future, because it was a beacon that led me to where I am now.
The magazine came when my ideas no longer fit within a blog, when I already had years of experience in the field and wanted to take it somewhere further. When I created the magazine, it was with the intention of reaching people in as many countries as possible.
I remember our very first cover was with two twin sisters who were singers, the No Frills Twins. They’re from Australia, and I remember listening to them, so I thought, “I’m going to invite them to be the launch cover of the magazine.” And they accepted right away.
So, from the very beginning, the connection was international. It was never a platform limited by distance. I think the short answer is that I truly wanted to leave where I was and take my dreams with me as far as they could go.
2. When did you realize that Hooks could be more than a magazine? Was there a particular project, decision, or opportunity that changed the way you saw it?
In the beginning, we were deeply embraced by different communities. I remember that one of our first covers featured a drag queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race, from the Netherlands. Soon after, we featured a Trans Miss. So, I think we were propelled by people who also dreamed big, who dreamed of becoming more than what the world had offered them.
As important people I genuinely admired began accepting invitations to be part of the magazine, I started to recognize Hooks’ global and social potential.
But there were several moments throughout my journey with Hooks that made that flame burn even brighter. For example, when Ariana Grande commented on a production we created in New York featuring another drag queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Or when we began securing exclusive interviews with international artists, such as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa, and so many others.
3. Anyone following Hooks can see that the past year has been one of intense development: new products were launched, Hooks gained greater visibility, and new areas began to take shape. What drove this movement? Was this expansion the result of a plan, or did it unfold naturally as opportunities emerged?
A lot happened over the past year. We went through a restructuring of the team at the end of 2025, which was very important for the magazine’s growth, especially on the artistic side. Principles that are important to me were being distorted by people within the magazine. So, when those people left, everything went back to the origins of my dream.
That is why 2026 has been such an important year for the magazine to dream bigger again, to grow, and also to develop new projects.
4. Today, there are very different projects carrying the Hooks signature. When you look at all of them, do you feel that you are building separate brands, or different parts of the same vision?
Absolutely, they are all part of the same vision. Hooks is now an entertainment group. We have several products and brands within our portfolio, but they are all aligned with our ideas and principles.
We have Sona Times of New York, a newspaper focused exclusively on more serious news. Its editorial proposition is different from that of Hooks, but it shares the same ethical and editorial principles. We also have Hooks Brides, an extension of Hooks, a magazine dedicated to the world of weddings and brides.
Our new project, Hooks Academy, is an initiative we are developing in partnership with others that expands this universe into education and professional development. The idea is to bring professionals from the fashion, communications, journalism, entertainment, and other industries closer together through courses, workshops, lectures, and hands-on experiences. It has its own distinct proposition, but it also connects with everything we have built over the years within Hooks.
We also have projects currently in development, such as Eurotrip Fashion, which involves international partners across Europe. Many other projects and brands work in partnership with Hooks, and for that, we can only be grateful to every professional who walks this journey with us.
5. The Signature Issue is about leaving a signature on what you build. When you imagine Hooks five or ten years from now, what is the mark you would like to leave on people and on the creative industry?
You know, when I was still a teenager, my father once told me something that I carried with me throughout my life. He said I should dream about the best possible scenario I could imagine for the next ten years.
And now, with your question, you’ve reminded me that when my father asked me what I imagined myself becoming in ten years, it certainly wasn’t even 50% of what Hooks has become today.
So, I imagine the very best for Hooks over the next ten years. I imagine reaching places we haven’t reached yet and, perhaps, exploring Japan, China, and South Korea more deeply. We’ve already had several launches there, but I would like to have a team based in East Asia.
6. Throughout your journey, Hooks has always been a way of giving a voice to ideas, people, and creative movements. But there is also a voice that is uniquely your own. If you had the opportunity to be heard by the entire world for one moment, what message would you want to leave behind?
“I don’t just want to be where things happen. I want to be part of what makes things happen.”
Hooks is that living dream within me. It is an extension of a creation that made me the person I am. So, I don’t just want to watch the world happen from a distance. I want to be someone who moves things forward.
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