The Dictators
Rich girl Raquel Welch (yes, that’s her real name) and child performer Emily Hunt met under the boardwalk on the beach at Atlantic City, New Jersey. Raquel was lost and Emily was hiding from her overbearing stage mother, Deborah Hunt. They become fast friends, growing up and bonding through letters to support each other. They did not see each other until their late teen years.
Raquel went on to study Fine Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, as is her family's tradition, and became an Art school dropout. In the meantime, Emily’s burlesque career started to peter out and so she enrolled at the same Art school, unbeknownst to her former childhood friend.
While at college, they bonded over a lust for money and embarked on a series of get-rich-quick schemes, including making and selling ’80s pins at the local market as well as buying and selling vintage clothing. Disillusioned by the rag trade, the jaded duo began penning hate mail in their spare time (time that should’ve been invested in the selling of goods), which culminated in a self-published book in 2004.
It was in 2006 that they embarked on their most recent and successful foray into the publishing arena. DUKE Magazine was launched to much fanfare at a small soirée involving topless hunks serving hors d'oeuvres in a funeral parlour-esque setting. DUKE was named after David Bowie’s alter ego the Thin White Duke – a very nasty character indeed.
To fund their endeavour, they organised annual dance-off competitions in which participants fight to become King & Queen of the dance floor. A series of art auctions were also held which contributed to the independent nature of the magazine.
They have since promoted themselves from mere editors to dictators of the magazine, to reflect their total ownership and control of the DUKE empire.