Australia’s ex-Vogue executive fashion editor launches online magazine
Ex-Vogue Australia 
executive fashion editor Emma Wood has launched a new online fashion and lifestyle magazine called Stylem aimed at women over 28 and covering luxury and high street fashion.
It features styling ideas and advice ranging from wardrobe, home, travel, leisure and family for women, primarily mothers, but has opted to only carry display advertising in the clickable online magazine section of the site to preserve the aesthetic.
Wood, who is now editor and creative director of Stylem and has been in the industry for almost 20 years, says she saw the need for a magazine in a modern medium that retained the style of the glossy print hardcopy.
“I saw it as a way forward. My target audience is aspiring mothers, mothers and women in that kind of area. They’re the largest consumers online – a lot of mums are busy and spend most of their time on their computer at home,” said Wood.
The online magazine is viewed by clicking the pages from left to right, and the website does not carry any ads outside of the ‘magazine’ pages.
Deputy editor Susan Taylor said: “There are online magazines that are mostly along the style of blogs or websites that are content heavy and have a lot of ads everywhere throughout the whole site, relying on the advertising for revenue.
“Stylem is a brand that will be operating as a commercial venture as well. However we didn’t want to lose the visual style of the magazine and we didn’t want the ads to distract the reader.”
The magazine aims take an on “trend realistic” approach including flexible content and featuring goods with affordable price tags, blending affordable and luxury brands, which Taylor said was an issue for some readers of high-end fashion magazines.
“With her background, Emma found that there were a lot of women who liked to read Vogue but didn’t really find it that realistic in terms of the brands that were featured in the magazine. With Stylem, Emma really wanted to make it a blend of both affordable and luxury brands,” added Taylor.
As of early 2014, issues will be published fortnightly and an iPad app is also scheduled for release.
The December issue is free and available to view online at www.stylem.com.au
Sofie Wainwright
The website design looks about 20 years old.
It is responsive down to mobile then tells you it is best viewed on a tablet or desktop?
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This may seem cynical, but I can’t help thinking that editorial teams of women’s magazines a) have little or no commercial understanding, and b) get paid way too much money.
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I’m not at all Stylem’s audience and I certainly wish the site well; however, you’d reckon with a site dedicated to fashion there’s going to need to be a lot of stylists, shoots, studios, product shots etc. And from my experience in magazines that can cost big dollars to do professionally. Something I doubt a small website with minimal advertising could support (in an already crowded market.)
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I like the idea but you have to visit every page of the magazine rather than just scrolling through and picking a page. And the magazine is packed with adverts, not enough content in my opinion.
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oh no! Not another bloody women’s lifestyle ezine!
Seriously, tell me this? What can an ex-mag fashion editor, possibly give offer different ot the the rest?
It will all just seem like one big fashion blur when you look back at it
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It’s cute and it’s early days so I’m not surprised there isn’t a lot of content. I don’t know about it being aimed at mothers though, unless they mean the young hipster mums who could afford the things they are advertising.
It will be interesting to see what happens but it doesn’t seem that revolutionary to me.
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It’s a commercial venture, but won’t be running a lot of ads? So what will the revenue stream be – Subscription? As for the site itself: looks like a website designed by a print editor. And it has crashed my tablet browser four times, now. I won’t be giving it a fifth go. Fashion is an incredibly competitive, crowded space online — girls, you’re gonna have to do better than this if you want to rise above the noise, let alone make a living.
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