Harper’s Bazaar set to relaunch in Australia

Global fashion bible Harper’s Bazaar is set to relaunch into the Australian market, as the US media giant Hearst teams up with a new and much smaller local partner to have the glossy back on local news-stands by September.

After being unceremoniously dumped by its former Australian partner, the German-based Bauer media a year ago, Hearst Magazines International has partnered with Switzer Media, a small custom-publishing outfit that also produces the cult fashion magazine Russh in a joint venture.

The debut issue of Harper’s Bazaar Australia, a special collector’s edition, will hit news-stands in September.

First launched in Australia during the early 1980s by the Fairfax group, the title was relaunched in 1998 by the Packer family’s Australian Consolidated Press group and published for nearly two decades, Harper’s Bazaar Australia established a market-leading position and loyal readership in Australia and New Zealand.

In July 2020, it became a victim of the ever shrinking print media business in Australia as Bauer fought to salvage its $500 million loss-making investment in Australian magazines when it bought ACP from the Packers in 2012.

Bauer sold out of the business months later, while Hearst has been busy trying to secure a new local partner to realise its ambitions for the historic high-end fashion title.

While key editorial positions have not yet been revealed, it is understood the magazine’s most recent editor-in-chief, Eugenie Kelly, is likely to be reinstalled.

Maureen Jordan, Switzer Media publisher, will lead sales, marketing and brand strategy for Harper’s Bazaar Australia.