Karlie Kloss and husband Josh Kushner to relaunch Life Magazine two decades after final print issue

Karlie Kloss and her husband Joshua Kushner are bringing Life magazine back to life.

The supermodel, 31, and her venture capitalist husband, 38, announced on Thursday 28 March that they struck a deal with Dotdash Meredith to revive Life Magazine’s print and digital distribution through the couple’s media holding company, Bedford Media.

Bedford Media - of which Kloss serves as CEO - will manage the full operations for the new Life Magazine, including editorial strategy, revenue, and media endeavors. Dotdash Meredith previously acquired Time Inc and Life Magazine in 2021, when IAC’s Dotdash purchased several Meredith Corp brands in a deal worth an estimated $2.7bn. It will continue to own the full rights to the Life Magazine’s photography and content archives, as well as publish single-topic special interest issues under the name.

“We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape,” Kloss said in a press release. “While Bedford is a new media company, we are deeply inspired by Life’s iconic legacy and ability to connect diverse audiences with universal narratives of humanity.”

Meanwhile, Kloss’ husband - who is the brother of former President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner - will be publisher of the new Life Magazine. “Life’s legacy lies in its ability to blend culture, current events, and everyday life - highlighting the triumphs, challenges, and unique perspectives that define us,” he said in a statement.

A representative for Bedford Media told the Los Angeles Times the newly revived Life Magazine will “most likely” relaunch as a quarterly, scheduled for early 2025.

Life Magazine was initially launched in 1883 as a general-interest magazine, gaining worldwide recognition in the early 20th century for its photography. The American magazine published some of the most iconic images in history, such as Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in New York’s Times Square on V-J Day.

It ceased weekly publication in the 1970s and ran as a monthly until 2000. In 2008, Life Magazine became an online archive with occasional newsstand editions.

Bedford Media describes itself as a media holding company “focused on artisanal storytelling, authenticity, and shared cultural resonance. Blending iconic brands with new ways of doing business and reaching audiences, the company’s strategy banks away from ubiquity and reach toward quality and depth.”

Kloss and Kushner’s company most recently acquired i-D magazine from Vice Media in November last year. In 2020, the model also led a group of investors in purchasing W Magazine as part of a newly formed joint venture, W Media.

Bedford Media’s plan to revive Life Magazine comes two days after reporter Lauren Sherman revealed that i-D magazine has laid off 10 members of its UK editorial staff. Last month, longtime editor Alastair McKimm departed i-D magazine after serving five years as editor-in-chief and another five years as fashion director.