Mondadori Group Signs Licensing Deal To Launch Grazia USA, Brand Premieres With Exclusive Kim Kardashian-West Digital Cover
The iconic fashion bible Grazia launches a USA edition today, strengthening the global media company's presence in the world's largest and most prominent fashion market
MILAN and NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark move, the Mondadori Group, the largest publishing house in Italy, today announced the launch of leading fashion brand Grazia in the United States. Grazia USA launches with digital cover star, Kim Kardashian-West on the its website for the world launch, along with new dedicated US social platforms.
Grazia USA will be published under a licensing agreement with Pantheon Media Group, LLC (PMG). The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The brand will establish significant presence in the American market, adopting an innovative digital-first business model and a strong new brand identity for the US consumer. Content will be distributed across a global multi-channel network with a focus on digital, video, and social, complemented by quarterly print editions beginning in 2021.
The birth of Grazia USA is crowned by an exclusive collaboration with Kim Kardashian-West. The American media personality turned fashion and beauty industry mogul and social justice advocate revealed 12 covers of various Grazia international editions on her social media Monday. The covers, interviews and exclusive shoots were published concurrently across a suite of Grazia markets; from the United States to the United Kingdom, Italy, India and Australia.
"The arrival of Grazia in the United States is a highly significant event, the first time an all-Italian fashion magazine lands on the US market with a formula that gives a perfect answer to the new needs of readers, users and businesses. In today's historical juncture, it bears witness to the strength of a brand that has always stood at the forefront, becoming an icon of international renown, leveraging on its authoritative content and incomparable identity," said Ernesto Mauri, CEO of the Mondadori Group.
"Grazia has been the authority on global fashion trends for more than 80 years, and we know that having editorial talent in the United States has the potential to have a material impact on the fashion world, with Grazia USA set to be the freshest and most energetic platform of telling those stories," added Daniela Sola, Managing Director International Business of Mondadori Media.
The United States is the leading fashion hub of the world, boasting a large economy and growing luxury industry. Of the $2.5 trillion global market, the United States represents nearly $308 billion alone.1 What's more, 1.8 million people are employed in the luxury industry in the US, and the country has around 18,000 fashion designers.2
In announcing the launch, PMG confirmed that Dylan Howard will serve as Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of Grazia USA. Mr. Howard plans to focus the brand on extensive digital storytelling through the use of technology, along with live and immersive events to deliver original content geared to the modern consumer.
"The editorial mission of Grazia USA will focus on a blend of local and international content and the elevation of North American fashion and design talent. Grazia USA will set itself apart from the competitive set, and develop its own unique identity as a daring, innovative and sophisticated representative of the worldwide brand," said Mr. Howard.
Having undertaken extensive research into consumers' media consumption habits, the USA edition of Grazia aims to establish itself as the most prominent and influential guide to fashion, with a mission of crafting impactful visual storytelling and thought-provoking, top-tier journalism to empower, inspire, and intrigue readers. The 400+ page print product set to launch in 2021 will showcase feature-length, high-impact, and high dwell time content for the audience segment of users aged 18-35.
"Grazia USA is a transformative event that significantly reshapes the fashion and beauty landscape in the United States with a bold type of next-generation media organization, Pantheon Media Group," said Mr. Howard.
"Grazia has helped carve fashion's path to inclusivity to date, and the unveiling of USA edition gives rise to new opportunity for championing intersectional diversity. This will be reflected across the board; through editorial content, fashion brands, designers and models whom we give the spotlight to, and wider partnerships Pantheon Media Group pursues to break the traditional fashion media mold."
Mr. Howard will lead the strategic direction of Grazia USA. A prominent figure in the American media scene, Mr. Howard brings more than two decades of publishing experience to the role, having previously served as Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of Business Development at American Media, Inc., the largest publisher in Northern America. Modern Luxury Media and Mr. Howard's Empire Media Group, Inc. will offer Pantheon Media Group support, from production and circulation to sales and marketing.
"As a brand, Grazia is the undisputed authority on fashion and beauty in 23 markets worldwide. Now, in the United States, those global standards will appear through our digital platform, providing informed and stylish users with the next-generation luxury media brand," added Mr. Howard.
"Grazia USA will also provide strategic advertising solutions for brands seeking to reach a smart, savvy and stylish consumer set. Grazia USA will be known for elevating integrated marketing offerings in luxury and lifestyle publishing at a time when others are not."
Further news will follow regarding appointments to the editorial team of Grazia USA.
PRESS CONTACT:
Italy: The Mondadori Group, Media Relations, pressoffice@mondadori.it
United States: Pantheon Media Group
ADVERTISING advertising@graziausa.com
MEDIA ENQUIRIES press@graziausa.com
ABOUT GRAZIA:
Grazia is Italy's fashion bible, published by the Mondadori Group. For 80 years Grazia has remained in step with changing tastes season after season, style after style. At the top end of quality and design, Grazia is the most accomplished ambassador of the "Made in Italy" brand and is a preferred advertising vehicle for designer, fashion, and beauty companies. Thanks to its experience, excellence and brand value, Grazia is the first Italian weekly magazine to extend its successful formula abroad, creating the most dynamic magazine network on the market.
ABOUT PANTHEON MEDIA GROUP, LLC:
Pantheon Media Group (PMG) is an independent next-generation media company that brings one of the most prestigious European fashion magazines to the biggest fashion market in the world. PMG is the exclusive publisher of Grazia USA, the latest franchise of the iconic fashion bible, first launched in Italy in 1938. Also uniquely focused on beauty, culture, society, status, celebrity, and luxury, Grazia USA publishes digitally first and later in print, with the release of the first of its quarterly 400-page magazines in 2021. Grazia USA does more than just inform and inspire an educated audience of influential readers: It is unlike anything the fashion industry in the United States has ever seen. We do not serve readers, we serve users. PMG is a 360-degree media business that is poised for the future, broadening storytelling into virtual and augmented reality, video, television, audio, e-commerce, live events, branded content, innovative advertising solutions and beyond. Grazia USA will be stewarded by the Empire Media Group and supported by shared services from Modern Luxury Media. PMG is headquartered in New York City.
1 https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/39201d61-aec8-4458-80e8-2fe26ee8a31e/economic-impact-of-the-fashion-industry.pdf
2 JEC Democratic staff calculations based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2017 National Industry Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (March 2018).
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