ITP Media Group (ITP) has just announced that Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire will launch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from March 2021 – making them the first international luxury fashion and lifestyle magazines to debut in the country. Both Esquire [@esquiremiddleeast] and Harper’s Bazaar [@harpersbazaararabia] have posted the announcement today on their social media accounts
This launch marks a new chapter for the luxury fashion and creative industries in KSA and will give a well-deserved spotlight to Saudi creatives and to the Kingdom’s unique fashion landscape.
Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud, a leading member of the Ministry of Culture’s Fashion Commission remarked:
“I am excited that fashion publishing in the Kingdom increases opportunities for cultural professionals and will lead to more jobs for writers, photographers, stylists, art directors and graphic designers. Fashion publishing has the potential to be a strong platform upon which to narrate the story of Saudi’s homegrown fashion talents, and encourage cultural exchange. Using fashion as a lens through which to examine the beauty and history of this country will inspire people both at home and abroad”.
According to a recent report from the General Authority for Statistics (GSAT), Saudi Arabia has one of the youngest populations in the world – with two thirds under the age of thirty five. This will allow Harper’s Bazaar Saudi and Esquire Saudi to take a fresh and edgier approach to their fashion and lifestyle content. The two publications will also be bi-lingual – with a heavy emphasis on digital across multi-platforms to reflect their audiences’ new consumption habits.
Following this announcement, ITP Live will increase their efforts in identifying and partnering with emerging Saudi influencers across the fashion, luxury, and lifestyle industries.
ITP Live is dedicated to inspiring a new generation of brands on how to better integrate social media and influencer marketing into their content strategies.
From exclusively managing digital content creators to conceptualising and executing influencer marketing campaigns, ITP Live hopes it can help Harper’s Bazaar Saudi and Esquire Saudi in modernizing their content in alignment with KSA’s Vision 2030.
A dedicated ITP editorial team based in Riyadh will work with Saudi Arabian contributors, stylists, photographers and content creators – all overseen by the respective group editor-in-chiefs of Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire GCC – Olivia Phillips and Matthew Baxter-Priest.
Phillips announced the Harper’s Bazaar KSA Launch on Instagram earlier today:
Sue Holt – Managing Director of ITP Media Group Saudi – has also expressed her excitement:
“I met Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud in 2018 to discuss launching the first internationally acclaimed fashion magazines specifically for the Saudi Arabian market and am excited that this discussion has now become a reality. As ITP Media Group – we are immensely proud to be part of this historic movement in one of the world’s youngest and most rapidly evolving countries. To be able to showcase and celebrate the creative people there through our media is an absolute honour and we look forward to Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire Saudi helping to unearth previously unseen talent and to tell the stories of the many people that deserve to be recognised.”
The launch will be accompanied by a series of exclusive private events that will take place throughout the year – including luxury VIP soirées, hosted dinners and hands-on workshops led by global fashion experts.