Grazia Australia publisher Grace Publishing to launch luxury men’s magazine, Icon
The publisher of Grazia Australia, Grace Publishing, is launching a new men’s magazine in Australia.
Known as Icon, the publication was first created by Italian media company Mondadori. Now, it will publish its inaugural English version of the brand through Australia’s Grace Publishing.
A digital version of the publication will launch this April, with launch partners Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, Bally, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Ben Sherman, while a biannual print edition will commence from October.
The magazine will cover topics such as fashion, travel, design, motor, lifestyle, people and society for men. Grace Publishing’s new title launch comes a year after the relaunch of Grazia Australia’s print edition.
The title was closed by former publisher Bauer Media in February 2013 after the magazine’s circulation struggled.
Grazia announced its return to Australia as a digital-only product in March last year, with Marne Schwartz, formerly of Bauer Media, partnering with former hedge fund manager Nicole Keats Torrence and investor Peter Howarth to relaunch the title.
In March last year, it announced it would give print another try, with Grace Publishing arguing it would become “the largest fashion title print circulation in Australia, with 110,000 audited copies sold”.
Today, Schwartz said it felt like the ‘right time’ to introduce a new male offering to market.
“No brand can rely on two season collections a year to stay relevant, especially with our attention spans these days. Popular culture, garage designs and Instagram are showcasing gender neutral silhouettes, styles and trends on the daily. The regressive delineation of womenswear vs menswear is thinning and Icon’s role is to continue to drive the menswear culture forward at this pace with best-in-class content and experiences, unique to this market.”
Stylist Kim Payne will work as fashion director for the brand. She said there has never been a “greater requirement” to address questions men ask about quality and heritage of brands.
“Icon will bring adventure and emotion to engage Australia to dress responsibly, whether it be a chunky set of sneakers or suit made to measure,” Payne said.
The announcement comes months after Bauer Media decided to axe Men’s Style magazine.
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“No brand can rely on two season collections a year to stay relevant, especially with our attention spans these days. Popular culture, garage designs and Instagram are showcasing gender neutral silhouettes, styles and trends on the daily. The regressive delineation of womenswear vs menswear is thinning and Icon’s role is to continue to drive the menswear culture forward at this pace with best-in-class content and experiences, unique to this market.”
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Bold move. Will be interested to see how this goes in light of the narrowing of the men’s lifestyle print space.
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