Karlie Kloss: What can’t she do?
Model, investor, and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss (Variety Magazine) is acquiring i-D magazine from Vice Media Group. Although the financial specifics of the deal have not been disclosed, Kloss’ excitement for the takeover can be seen from her recent Instagram post of the Spring 2013 issue of i-D magazine, of which she graced the cover.
The sale was handled through her newly formed company, Bedford Media, of which she serves as chairwoman. Interestingly, this is not the first time Kloss has been involved in the world of fashion publications. In 2020, she and fellow model Kaia Gerber, along with a group of other high-profile investors, bought W magazine, a high-end publication formerly owned by Conde Nast, best known as the home of Vogue and Vanity Fair.
Kloss, who owns ‘Kode with Klossy’, ‘has a deep passion for technology and the intersection of fashion, media, and culture and how we can create interconnectivity between the digital and physical worlds,’ according to a statement from her representative.
So, in an age where critics would argue that traditional media in the forms of fashion publications may be dying out due to the continued rise of social media platforms, Kloss and other celebs have gone against the grain and helped to reinvent traditional media. And the most surprising thing? It’s working. Karen North, a professor of communication at USC’s Annenberg School for Journalism and Communication, comments on this, ‘What’s happening is that people with the means are finding things they care about and deciding to rework them, so they stay alive, and it’s not just traditional businessmen with the means anymore.’
Regarding her acquisition of i-D magazine, Kloss will lead as CEO, while i-D’s top editor, Alistair McKimm, will expand his role and assume the positions of Chief Creative Officer and Global Editor-in-Chief.
Vice Media acquired the magazine in 2012, but earlier this year, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In July, they closed a $350 million sale to their lenders. They entered a deal to sell i-D magazine to Kloss, ‘as part of our ongoing strategy to streamline and focus Vice Media Group on our core business’ (CEOs Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala). It seems they have great faith in Kloss, as a memo from Vice Media Group described her as having ‘deep roots in the fashion industry’ and establishing herself as ‘an entrepreneur who has a vision for the future of i-D and the industry at large.’
Although Vice Media has distanced itself from i-D magazine, they will continue to cover fashion, beauty, and certain areas of lifestyle across other media platforms, such as Vice.com and Refinery29, which the company obtained in 2019.
