2011 did not end on a good note for magazines. According to Audit Bureau of Circulations, the industry was down an average of 10 percent, WWD is reporting.
And that’s not even the worst of it. Some fashion titles fell much harder.
Could the Kardashian backlash finally be underway? Maybe, according to the New York Post.
Publishers of Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style and OK! told the paper that circulation dropped about 18 percent when a Kardashian was on the cover in December, while Keeping up with the Kardashians saw a 14 percent dip in Nielsen ratings. And, in terms of endorsement deals, advertisers are reportedly less eager to get into bed with the reality TV family as well. Case in point: Skechers recently opted for a cute cuddly bulldog as their Superbowl commercial spokesmodel, instead of Kim K.
But that’s not all.
Last week we reported that the Kardashian family was in talks with American Media Inc. (the same publishers of Star, National Enquirer, Reality Weekly and Shape) to launch their very own magazine. We thought it was a bit strange considering the reality TV family is reportedly set to sue Star magazine over their child labor Read more →
Kardashian Sisters to be Barbie-fied: The Kardashian family’s way of combating the bad publicity following the end of Kim’s 72-day marriage is to continue their overexposure, as if the public isn’t already sick of them. The Kardashians struck up a deal with Mattel to create Barbie dolls which will not only look like them, but, as a source tells Us Weekly “reflect their measurements.” Barbie with a booty? We’ll have to see it to believe it! {UsMagazine}
The Duchess of Cambridge Chooses Her Charities: As part of her royal duties, Duchess KMidd has finally chosen the four charities she will patronize: the National Portrait Gallery (so they’ll be sure to paint her looking extra fierce), Action on Addiction, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, and The Art Room, which provides art classes for at risk teens. All noble causes! {WWD (Subscription required)}
Apparently, People Are Buying Paris Hilton’s Fragrances: The socialite told FHM she’s made 1.3 billion in revenue off her fragrances since 2005. Yeah, we’re just as confused as you are. {JustJared}
Oh boy. Continuing on their quest to become completely inescapable, the Kardashians are apparently planning to launch their very own magazines dedicated to–you guessed it–themselves, Page Six is reporting.
Sources told the gossip column that the reality TV family is in talks with several media sources, including American Media Inc., to launch their own mag. AMI is a good fit considering the media company owns tabloids like The National Enquirer, fitness mag Shape, and the recently launched Reality Weekly, the magazine dedicated to covering reality TV stars.
However, the company also owns Star, which is pretty ironic considering the Kardashians are currently suing the magazine for libel over that whole child labor scandal.
2011 is coming to a close, and some of the most pressing fashion mysteries of the year have yet to be resolved. While we’re all looking forward to a year of new collections, It-girl obsessions, and strange sartorial choices, here are some questions from 2011 we’ll still want answered after the clock strikes midnight.
In the magazine world, 2011 has come and gone (January 2012 issues are already out). Thus, WWD has issued their annual report on the year’s best and worst selling American covers–meaning, which celebrity faces, from Lady Gaga to Kim Kardashian, achieved the highest success rate at newsstands.
The results, while largely predictable, included a few surprises.
Yesterday Star released an image of their cover (the mag is out today) with the headline “Kardashian Sweatshop Scandal,” and a teaser for the story, which essentially accused the reality TV family of employing child laborers in factories where they are subjected to atrocious working conditions to produce their lines K-Dash by Kardashian, the Kris Jenner Kollection and ShoeDazzle. Since then, the story has gotten a lot more confusing.
Hermes Better Watch Its Back: LVMH has upped their stake–again–in the company and now holds 22.3 percent of their shares (up from 21.4 percent) and has 16 percent of the firm’s voting rights. {WWD, subscription required}
Emma Watson’s Lancôme Makeup Ad Leaked: They’re only concept drawings for the campaign for Lancôme’s upcoming line Rouge in Love, to be released in February, and starring Watson, but man, aren’t they pretty? {Racked}
30 Never Looked So Good: Forbes lists the year’s standout names in Art & Design for their 30 under 30 series. Joseph Altuzarra, Chris Benz, Pamela Love, Alexander Wang and the Olsens are among those that made the cut. Get ready to start feeling very unaccomplished. {Forbes}
Bebe Says ‘I Do’: The mega retailer has ditched one reality TV star (Kim Kardahian) for another (Project Runway contestant Rami Kashou) in an attempt to revamp their brand into something a little more sophisticated. Rami will be designing the brand’s all-growed-up line of bridal wear, which she describes as “feminine, elegant, timeless and romantic.” {The Cut}
The Kardashian fashion empire has come under fire as many of the family’s branded and endorsed products are reportedly made in Chinese sweatshops where workers, some as young as 16, are subjected to inhumane conditions, according to Star magazine.
A number of factories connected to the Kardashians are being investigated by human-rights watchdog organizations, Star is reporting. “The Kardashians are in bed with some pretty bad people,” Charles Kernaghan, the executive director of the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, told the mag. Guangdong, the region in China where the factories in question are located, is “a scary place,” according to Kernaghan, a leading authority on labor conditions in China. Factory workers reportedly earn as little as $1 an hour, toiling up to 84 hours a week in conditions that are akin to “minimum-security prisons.” To put things into perspective, the Kardashians earn around $65 million a years.
Kardashians Setting Up Shop in Dallas: Say what you want about the Kardashian Krew, just don’t call them lazy. With Khloe’s hubby Lam-Lam now traded to the Mavericks, word is they’re already scoping out locations for a new DASH store in Dallas. Werk, girls, get that ka$h. {TMZ}
Gwyneth’s GOOP App Promotes Expensive Living: Always wondered where to get the best kelp smoothie in New York? Ya, me neither. But Gwyneth Paltrow now has an app for that. Her GOOP NYC app may only cost $3.99, but you’re guaranteed to spend thousands more if you actually follow in her perfectly aligned footsteps. {Gawker}
CFDA Names Winners’ Mentors: Mentors have been chosen for this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund honorees. Winner Joseph Altuzarra will be mentored by Calvin Klein prez and chief exec Tom Murry, Pamela Love gets Harry Winston’s Frédéric de Narp, and Creatures of the Wind designers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters will work with Rag & Bone duo David Neville and Marcus Wainwright. Just in time for some holiday thank-you presents… Brownie points, people! {WWD}
Move over Kim, Kourtney and Khloe. Kendall and Kylie, who are 16 and 15, respectively, are already giving their older half-sisters a run for their money–starting with the fashion business. While they’ve yet to do much more than a few modeling gigs (see Kendall’s latest coup for indie fashion mag Lovecat here),WWD announced today that they’ve signed a deal with accessories company Glamhouse to launch an as-yet-unnamed jewelry and accessories line geared towards teens and tweens.
