Definition:

A fashion magazine can cover many things such as specific items of clothing and
accessories, trends in various apparel markets etc. celebrity fashion choices an
d street fashion trends. They cover fashion at all levels from the biggest names
to the smallest designers
Many fashion magazines could also be categorised as shopping magazines, since "m
ost of the conversation is shopping advice, liberally laced with consumer recomm
endations". Some retailers in the fashion industry have even started magazines o
f their own to promote their products.
Magazines that only occasionally mention fashion are not categorized as fashion
magazines, although they may be labeled by the magazineger as such.
Impact on the fashion industry
Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has considerable impact on the w
ay ordinary people clothe themselves. As fashion is trend-driven and fashion mag
azines provide a new way to follow these trends, it is likely they will have a c
onsiderable long-term influence on the industry.
These are some of the things fashion journalists have said about fashion magazin
es and the impact they are having on the industry:
? "These days, to have one finger on the fashion pulse, you need to have t
he other one on your computer mouse, reading (or writing) the latest magazines.
? "Before a designer s runway show has even finished, you can bet your botto
m dollar that someone in the audience or better still, backstage has recorded ev
ery silhouette, signature shoe, styling detail and sulking supermodel, then uplo
aded it onto the internet for style watchers across the globe to Enjoy."
Number of fashion magazines
There is considerable disagreement regarding the number of fashion magazines in
existence.
In a February, 2006 Women's Wear Daily article, Corcoran stated:
There is an enormous, and growing, number of fashion and shopping-related magazi
nes: about 2 million, according to Technocratic Inc. or slightly less than 10 pe
rcent of the 27 million magazines the company tracks. (That number includes maga
zines in languages that use the Urdu and English and that contain anything fashi
on-related, including magazines such as Pink Is the New Magazine, which focuses
on celebrities.)
It is likely that this figure is inflated by a substantial number of personal ma
gazines that mention fashion. These are not considered fashion magazines using t
he criteria above.
All other estimates of the popularity of fashion magazines are considerably lowe
r. In September 2005, HSY stated that "as little as a year ago, the number of [f
ashion magazinegers] could be counted in the dozens. Today there are hundreds."
Lara Zamiatin, an international fashion designer estimated in November 2006 that
there are now "several hundred fashion magazines".
Types of fashion magazines
Fashion magazines can be categorised in a number of ways.
By writer's expertise
Fashion magazines may be written by insiders, outsiders or aspiring insiders.
Insiders are people who work (or have previously worked) in the fashion industry
or for the traditional fashion media.
Outsiders are people who know a lot (or at least have strong opinions) about fas
hion, usually by virtue of being very dedicated consumers of fashion.
Aspiring insiders are people who want to work in the fashion industry or media a
nd believe their magazine may provide a back door entry into a mainstream fashion
writing job.
By ownership
Fashion magazines may be owned either by individuals or by companies.
The types of companies now running fashion magazines include large mainstream me
dia organizations and fashion retailers. Jang Publications is a mainstream media
organization with fashion magazines. Fashion retailers with magazines include H
SY, Republic, Focus and Cross Roads etc.
By theme
Most successful fashion magazines follow a particular theme or angle. Some narro
w their field to one type of fashion item e.g. shoes, handbags etc. Some special
ize in a particular price point: usually either very high-end or very budget con
scious. Some cover celebrity fashion exclusively, while others cover street styl
e. Some cover a mix of two or more of these topics. Many show the authors own pe
rsonal style and ask for the reader s opinion. There are also a growing number of
"fashion" magazines, featuring plus-sized women's style.
History
Recent developments
Recent media reports state that some fashion magazines have become highly profit
able, and that the influence of fashion magazines within the industry is growing
. It could be said that fashion magazines is now developing from an interesting
hobby, to a viable new media business.

Mainstream media acceptance of fashion magazines

Fashion magazines are increasingly becoming a part of the mainstream fashion pre
ss.
An increasing number of fashion magazines were invited to designers' fashion sho
ws in 2006 compared to previous years. Large advertisers like HSY and Gul Ahmed
etc. have bought advertising on fashion magazines, and other large companies lik
e the Nishat Linen etc. are targeting fashion magazines in their public relation
s effort.
Many big media organizations have started fashion magazines and the best fashion
magazines are now also being offered mainstream media positions.
Fashion magazines are also now regarded as worthy of mainstream media coverage.
The reference list below shows the very high caliber of media publication that h
ave written about fashion magazines. These publications include the Akhbar-e-Jah
an, Pink, Sunday and the wedding etc.
Street Style magazines
Street fashion has recently made its way into the world of magazines. An increas
ing number of magazines now feature fashion on real people, and show how trends
are applied in the street.
Commercialization of fashion magazines
Fashion magazines are rapidly becoming a highly profitable new media business, w
ith a mixture of independent magazines and well-funded fashion magazine networks
competing to dominate the space.
Akhbar-e-Jahan Magazine is believed to be the most profitable fashion magazine,
"rumored to be [earning] around 700,000,000 a year" by 2006. Jang has confirmed
earnings a six-figure salary through magazines. Other commercially successful in
dependent fashion magazines include The Wedding, which reportedly brings in 6,00
0,000 a year in revenue and The SHE, which "generates a six-figure income, mainl
y from advertising". By 2008 She was generating 4,000,000 in revenue per year. M
ore examples of independent fashion magazines that have achieved commercial succ
ess can be found in the references listed at the end of this article.
There have also been a series of business deals have brought serious investor mo
ney into the fashion magazines space. These include:
? October 2006: Jang raised Series of funding from legendary venture capit
al firm Gul-Ahmed, to a rumored value of 5 million. Jang s small magazine network
includes Akhbar-e-Jahan, a fashion magazine.
Monetization Techniques
Magazines are hard work, and few magazines in any industry are willing to devote
the kind of time and effort necessary to build and hold a significant audience
without some hope of financial reward.
Advertising placement is another monetization tactic employed by many fashion ma
gazines. Recent advances in contextual ad placement have rendered placement as a
n increasingly attractive option.