Karlie Kloss, Joshua Kushner Strike Deal to Relaunch Life Magazine
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner are relaunching the legacy magazine Life as part of a deal with Dotdash Meredeth and Bedford Media.
Bedford Media plans to bring back both print and digital distribution of the venerable publication, which was last printed as a weekly newspaper supplement in 2007. Its legendary photography archives were made available online in 2008.
“‘Life’s’ legacy lies in its ability to blend culture, current events, and everyday life—highlighting the triumphs, challenges, and unique perspectives that define us,” said Kushner, who took the title of publisher, in a release.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bedford Media is a holding company formed last year with a self-proclaimed focus on storytelling. Supermodel Kloss in November bought the British fashion publication i-D Magazine from Vice Media Group amid the latter’s bankruptcy restructuring. The company said its strategy “banks away from ubiquity and reach toward quality and depth.”
Kushner, Kloss’ husband and the founder of venture capital firm Thrive Capital, where Bob Iger stopped after his brief-lived retirement from Disney, was an early investor in Instagram. He’s dabbled in health insurance and real estate ventures and backed technology companies like Stripe and OpenAI.
The release did not say how frequently the new magazine will publish. From the 1880s until 1972, Life was a weekly. Purchased in the mid-1930s by Time publisher Henry Luce, it became known particularly for its photography.
The photo collection and the magazine’s content archives will remain under Dotdash Meredith’s ownership. Its predecessor company acquired Life as part of its purchase of Time Inc. in 2017. Dotdash Meredith will also continue to publish single-topic special interest issues of under the Life banner.
“We see ‘Life’ as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape,” said Karlie Kloss, CEO of Bedford Media. “While Bedford is a new media company, we are deeply inspired by ‘Life’s’ iconic legacy and ability to connect diverse audiences with universal narratives of humanity.”
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