The Monthly Fashion Magazine Is No More (2024)

In another sign of the struggles glossy print magazines are facing, there are now no major monthly women’s fashion magazines in the U.S.

Before the global coronavirus pandemic struck about two years ago, Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Cosmopolitan and WSJ., the luxury fashion insert of The Wall Street Journal, each published 12 issues a year in 2019.

Since then, all have cut back on print frequency as COVID-19 added more pressure to an already struggling market with ad dollars increasingly moving online.

WWD’s research found that Vogue, Condé Nast’s longtime cash cow run by Anna Wintour, is now down to 11 issues a year, Hearst’s Elle 10 issues a year, WSJ. eight issues a year, while Cosmopolitan, another Hearst title, has revealed that it will print eight-themed issues a year, each dedicated to a different subject and numbered rather than tied to a specific month.

Most recently, InStyle’s new owner Dotdash Meredith recently ended that title’s 27-year-long print run, with chief executive officer Neil Vogel stating at the time: “It is not news to anyone that there has been a pronounced shift in readership and advertising from print to digital, and as a result, for a few important brands, print is no longer serving the brand’s core purpose. As such, we are going to move to a digital-only future for these brands, which will help us to unlock their full potential.”

Up until that point, InStyle was the last women’s fashion magazine in the U.S. still publishing 12 issues a year, even during 2020 when producing shoots and obtaining items from designers were extremely difficult in certain months.

Other magazines that have gone down in issues include O, The Oprah Magazine; W; Allure; Elle Decor; Esquire; GQ; Good Housekeeping; Vanity Fair and Marie Claire.

The latter’s new owner, U.K.-based and publicly listed Future plc, told WWD that it will still publish two issues a year, in May and September, the latter being the most crucial month of the year for magazine publishers as they seek to grab ad dollars. But even before the sale, Hearst quietly reduced Marie Claire’s print frequency from 11 issues to just seven in 2020.

Hearst’s Harper’s Bazaar, meanwhile, dipped to nine issues in 2020, but is now back at 10.

According to the Alliance for Audited Media, which tracks the performance of such publications, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Elle and InStyle all saw readers of their print magazine or online magazine editions decline to varying degrees in 2021, compared to 2020. With a drop of 22 percent, Cosmopolitan had the biggest fall, followed by InStyle which was down almost 18 percent.

Nevertheless, InStyle, which was until recently run by editor in chief Laura Brown (she left when the print edition was killed), had the greatest total audience increase thanks to a 71 percent gain in mobile traffic and 131 percent rise in views of its videos, perhaps helping to explain Dotdash Meredith’s decision to make it digital only.

Elle’s total audience was up 2 percent. In the other direction, Cosmo’s total audience was down 14.2 percent, Harper’s Bazaar 1.5 percent, Vanity Fair 17.4 percent and Vogue 0.6 percent.

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The Monthly Fashion Magazine Is No More (2024)

FAQs

Do people still read fashion magazines? ›

Despite the setbacks in numbers, fashion magazines are far from dead. Local fashion and style print titles like Frankie are continuing to cater to over 260,000 readers a year.

Why are fashion magazines still relevant? ›

Fashion magazines are primarily published to give its readers tips on how to improve their style, highlight current trends and inform readers on how to improve their careers.

What do you write inside a fashion magazine? ›

Writing about fashion includes many things: you can report catwalks, write about fashion trends and what celebrities are wearing, cover fashion events, and even report about the business side of the industry including marketing analysis, industry news, and sustainability.

Does Elle magazine still exist? ›

The title means "she" or "her" in French. Elle is considered one of the world's largest fashion magazines, with 45 editions around the world and 46 local websites. It now counts 21 million readers and 100 million unique visitors per month, with an audience of mostly women.

Do Gen Z read magazines? ›

Digital magazines have grown in popularity over the years. Generation Z has taken it into their own hands by producing their own versions of these publications.

What is the #1 magazine in the world? ›

Top 50 magazines in the world
RankOutletLocation
1T: The New York Times Style MagazineNew York, NY
2The New York Times MagazineNew York, NY
3T MagazineNew York, NY
4The Observer MagazineLondon, United Kingdom
46 more rows

Why are magazines dying out? ›

Over the past few years, we've seen print numbers decline with more people turning to digital media for their entertainment following the rise of online publications and the Covid-19 pandemic. Verticals like men's magazines have been hit especially hard by online competition such as Instagram.

Are magazines on the decline? ›

Total audiences for magazine companies have decreased by 38.56% within three years, as of 2022. 222.2 million adults read magazines (print and digital) as of 2021. There were 123.67 million subscriptions for the top 50 US magazines during the same year.

Why do most magazines fail? ›

Here are a few reasons why some publications fail: Faulty editorial judgement – producing a book or publication that is poorly written or too long or short; poor copy editing; breaching copyright or causing defamation.

Who is the target audience of fashion magazines? ›

A fashion magazine's target audience is ABC1 females in their late twenties to thirties. They are very successful in attracting their audience, resulting in continual high readership and, as a result, they do not widely try to appeal to other audiences such as men.

What is the most influential fashion magazine? ›

Vogue. This is arguably the most famous fashion magazine in the world – it tops all charts. Vogue was first published in 1892 as a weekly newspaper that slowly turned into a fashion magazine.

What is the oldest fashion magazine? ›

Harper's Bazaar: The First Fashion Magazine

This extremely early date is somewhat astonishing, as is the personality of its founder, Mary Louise Booth. This feminist before her time wanted to provide women with a magazine keeping them up to date with fashion, society, literature and the arts.

What magazines are being discontinued? ›

Also departed this year:
  • Elephant: 2009–2022.
  • Parade: 1941–2022.
  • Parents: 1926–2022.
  • Protocol: 2020–2022.
  • The Washington Post Magazine: 1986–2022.
Dec 27, 2022

Is Vogue magazine still being printed? ›

Vogue will publish 10 print issues in 2023, down from 11 issues the past three years.

Does Vogue still print magazines? ›

Vogue publishes ten issues per year.

All orders subject to approval.

Which generation reads the least? ›

The silent generation (76+) reads for an average of 35 minutes a day. With nine less minutes of reading, the baby boomers come in second with 25 minutes of reading per day. Gen X (41-55) cracks the top three with 10 minutes and millennials just miss out and come in fourth with 8 minutes of reading a day.

What is Gen Z obsessed with? ›

As digital natives, Gen Zers love TikTok. Among other social media platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, TikTok stands out. Not only is the app Gen Z-dominated, with 43% of global users aged 18-24, but young consumers also prefer TikTok to such an extent that it's begun to rival Google as a search engine.

What magazines do millennials read? ›

Top Magazines for Millennials
  • People Magazine. People Magazine has a circulation of over 3.4 million and a readership of more than 32 million people. ...
  • Good Housekeeping. ...
  • Cosmopolitan. ...
  • Us Weekly. ...
  • Food Network. ...
  • TIME Magazine. ...
  • Sports Illustrated. ...
  • Men's Health.
Mar 9, 2022

What is the oldest published magazine in the US? ›

Scientific American (founded 1845)

As the oldest continuously published magazine in the country, Scientific American's content database has original reporting on inventions like Alexander Graham Bell's telephone and Thomas Edison's lightbulb.

What is the most circulated magazine in the US? ›

AARP Magazine — the United States' largest-circulation magazine, with about 35 million readers — helps people 50+ live their most fulfilling lives.

What is the most viewed magazine in the world? ›

We've revealed the 10 best magazines & most read magazines in the world that 2020 has to offer.
  • Filmfare Magazine: Since 1954, as India's No. ...
  • India Today Magazine: ...
  • TIME Magazine: ...
  • The Economist Magazine: ...
  • Outlook Magazine: ...
  • Harvard Business Review HBR Magazine: ...
  • Reader's Digest: ...
  • Man's World Magazine:

Is it OK to keep magazines loaded? ›

Generally, Loaded Magazines Are Fine

According to Aimingexpert.com, it's generally fine to keep magazines loaded without ruining them. This is the consensus among notable gun experts who've voiced opinions on this topic.

Is it worth keeping old magazines? ›

Most any older periodicals can have some value depending on how many people want it. As an example, to those who gather sports memorabilia, finding a copy of the first Sports Illustrated magazine published in 1954 can be a real treasure. They easily retail for thousands in excellent to mint condition.

Should I throw out old magazines? ›

Not all old magazines can go in the recycling bin, even if they are printed on clay-coated paper. Stained magazines should go to the landfill instead of the recycling center. If you've used your old magazines to protect your floor while painting or to line the bottom of the cat litter, toss it in the garbage.

Will People magazine stop printing? ›

More Stories By Dade. After more than three decades in print, Entertainment Weekly will stop producing a physical copy of its magazine, shifting fully online. Other titles owned by EW's new parent company, InterActive Corp., are also ditching print, among them InStyle, EatingWell, Health, Parents and People en Español.

Where do all the unsold magazines go? ›

Unsold magazines are returned to the publisher's distributor (in some cases only the cover), and recycled when possible. Be aware that almost all paper today is made from partially recycled materials and the original forest where the tree was cut down and sent to the mill was replanted by the paper industry.

Do magazines still make money? ›

For legacy and established brands, print magazines are still a great steady source of income. Although cost of production can be high, print has a few distinct benefits a medium: First, print subscribers a loyal and reliable.

Are magazines a dying industry? ›

Not quite. While magazines may not be as popular as they once were, there are still many people who enjoy reading them. And, more importantly, there are still many magazines that are thriving. Here's a look at the current state of the magazine industry and what the future may hold.

Why are print magazines better? ›

Advantages of print magazines

People tend to be more engaged with the content they read in a print magazine, too, as they invest their time sitting down to read the product, and they spend more time reading the print magazine than they do when it is in a digital format2.

Why are most magazines curved? ›

So why are gun magazines curved? It has to do with the way bullets and their cartridges naturally nest within the magazine. Cartridges that are even slightly conical in shape are not able to sit perfectly straight, as depicted in the diagram we mocked up below.

Do journalists work for fashion magazines? ›

Many fashion journalists work for fashion magazines, though some may cover fashion for more broad-based general interest publications.

How do fashion magazines influence society? ›

Fashion magazines are important communication agents to engage the people in society. In addition, they also talk about the newest news from the style industry. Also, magazines helped in transforming as well as adapting social changes.

Why is Vogue so popular? ›

One of the world's most prominent fashion magazines, it has heavily influenced the development of the fashion magazine industry and continues to shape modern fashion trends. It also was the professional home to some of the world's fashion titans.

What are the Big 4 fashion magazines? ›

The Big Four, sometimes referred to as The Big 4, is the name given in fashion to the four most notable Vogue covers; American Vogue, British Vogue, Vogue France and Vogue Italia.

What are the 3 biggest influences on fashion? ›

Fashion Designing Basics: Factors Influencing Popular Fashion
  • Fashion Forecast (Colour & Fabric) Deciding the colour, fabric and look for the upcoming season is something that every designer works on. ...
  • Movies & Music. The entertainment world is a major influencer of fashion. ...
  • Fashion Stylist. ...
  • Economy of a Country.
Dec 20, 2017

Who is the most influential celebrity in fashion? ›

Blake Lively is the most influential celebrity of 2022 fashion.

What is America's first fashion magazine? ›

On November 2, 1867, Harper's Bazaar became the first fashion magazine published in the United States. With the tagline, “A Repository of Fashion, Pleasure and Instruction,” Harper's Bazaar would revolutionize women's magazines and the fashion world.

Why is it called Harper's Bazaar? ›

"A repository of fashion, pleasure, and instruction" is how Harper's Bazar described itself on the cover of its inaugural issue, in 1867. Bazar—then spelled without the double "a"—was founded by Harper & Brothers, a New York–based publishing firm run by siblings James, John, Joseph Wesley, and Fletcher Harper.

What's the name of a well known fashion magazine? ›

Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair are all fashion magazines.

What size magazine are they trying to ban? ›

Proposition 63 required individuals who owned large capacity magazines to permanently modify them so the magazine would not accept more than 10 rounds or to otherwise dispose of them before July 1, 2017 by selling them to a licensed firearms dealer, transferring them to law enforcement, removing them from the state, or ...

Is Barnes and Noble getting rid of magazines? ›

Barnes and Noble has shuttered over 500 of their 600 bookstores in the United States and the bookseller has announced they are no longer going to be ordering new magazines and will cease carrying them altogether.

What states have magazine bans? ›

The states with magazine restrictions are Washington, Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Hawaii, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado, and California. Generally speaking, these restrictions are designed to limit the amount of ammunition a gun can hold at any given time.

What famous magazines are no longer in print? ›

H
  • Hands-On Electronics (1984–1989)
  • The Hard Copy Observer (1991–2012)
  • Harp (2001–2008)
  • Harper's Weekly (1857–1916)
  • Harper's Young People (1879–1899)
  • Harvest (1980–1992)
  • HDI, CMP Media (1998–2001)
  • Healthy Kids, American Baby/American Academy of Pediatrics/PRIMEDIA (1989–2001)

What fashion magazine is a competitor of Vogue? ›

The other five competitors in the top 10 list are marieclaire.com (8.4M visits in April 2023), nymag.com (15.6M visits in April 2023), thecut.com (8.9M visits in April 2023), people.com (134.8M visits in April 2023), and refinery29.com (13.6M visits in April 2023).

Which fashion magazine has moved to digital only? ›

The magazine's April issue will be its last. Dotdash Meredith, the media group which acquired InStyle in 2021, has announced it will be terminating the publication's print issues, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Are fashion magazines still a thing? ›

Despite the setbacks in numbers, fashion magazines are far from dead. Local fashion and style print titles like Frankie are continuing to cater to over 260,000 readers a year.

Are magazines still relevant today? ›

The majority of the population still prefers printed magazines to their digital counterparts as a trusted source of information and even a form of relaxation. It is because of this that print won't be dying any time soon.

Does Gen Z read Vogue? ›

People appears in the top two for both groups, and Cosmopolitan and National Geographic also rank in the top five for each. As for differences, Gen Z was more likely to name Seventeen and Teen Vogue, while Millennials were more likely to name Time and the New York Times Magazine.

What popular magazines no longer exist? ›

H
  • Hands-On Electronics (1984–1989)
  • The Hard Copy Observer (1991–2012)
  • Harp (2001–2008)
  • Harper's Weekly (1857–1916)
  • Harper's Young People (1879–1899)
  • Harvest (1980–1992)
  • HDI, CMP Media (1998–2001)
  • Healthy Kids, American Baby/American Academy of Pediatrics/PRIMEDIA (1989–2001)

Should I throw out my magazines? ›

Not all old magazines can go in the recycling bin, even if they are printed on clay-coated paper. Stained magazines should go to the landfill instead of the recycling center. If you've used your old magazines to protect your floor while painting or to line the bottom of the cat litter, toss it in the garbage.

What is the world's most influential fashion magazine? ›

Vogue. This is arguably the most famous fashion magazine in the world – it tops all charts. Vogue was first published in 1892 as a weekly newspaper that slowly turned into a fashion magazine.

What is the world's largest fashion magazine? ›

As the world's largest fashion magazine and media brand, ELLE inspires women to explore and celebrate style in all aspects of their lives. Learn more about advertising opportunities.

What age group is Vogue aimed at? ›

Helmed by prolific Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, American VOGUE attracts a primarily female audience (approx. 80%) and covers a broad age range, though primary demographics range from 17-29-year-olds.

Do Millennials buy magazines? ›

According to a Customer Focus Research study published by Quad Graphics, 62% of Millennials prefer to read printed magazines, with 49% of this age group having read a magazine in the last 7 days, covering a large part of their media consumption.

Why are some magazines particularly fashion magazines and weeklies in decline? ›

Among other factors, there's a pattern here. A change in management, a new media corporation, and the quiet current of the digital media landscape that's forever changing print magazines.

Are magazines becoming less popular? ›

The U.S. consumer magazine industry shrunk by more than 20% in the past five years, due largely to print advertising declines, per PwC data. But the rate of decline is expected to slow slightly in the next five years, thanks to new efforts from online media companies to acquire and digitize traditional print brands.

What is Gen Y fashion? ›

They love bold colors and pieces that make a statement without being too over-the-top. They'll take risks with their fashion choices, and they aren't afraid to express themselves through clothes. From fluorescent colors to graphic prints, Generation Y takes pride in standing out from the crowd while embracing trends.

What genre is Gen Z most popular? ›

Pop music is the most popular genre across all generations, with two in five Gen Z (43%), millennials (39%), and Gen X (42%) citing it as their favorite.

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