The model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss and her billionaire tech investor husband Joshua Kushner are set to revive Life magazine, the weekly photography publication.
On Thursday, Bedford Media, a holding company headed by Kloss and Kushner, announced that it is bringing Life back to print and digital distribution as part of an agreement with Dotdash Meredith, the US’s largest digital and print publisher.
The announcement comes more than 20 years after Life, which was initially founded in New York City in 1883, stopped its regular publications.
In 1936, Time took over Life and ran the magazine as a weekly publication until 1972. Between 1972 and 1978, the magazine appeared intermittently, and it was shuttered once more in 2000. Since 2008, Life has lived on as an online photo archive featuring images of the 20th century.
Bedford Media describes itself as focused on artisanal storytelling, creator authenticity and reviving legacy brands with storied histories and cultural resonance.
The company said it plans to relaunch the magazine as a publication on a “regular cadence and vibrant media property”, adding that it will be a voice for all generations through print, digital and video mediums. Bedford Media will manage the full operations of the magazine, including editorial strategy, revenue and media endeavors, the holding company said.
Meanwhile, Dotdash Meredith will continue owning the full rights to Life photography and its content archives dating back to the 1930s. The company will also continue publishing its single-topic special interest magazines for the Life brand available on newsstands, the press release said.
Hailing the deal, Kloss said: “We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape. 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.”
Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kusher, echoed similar sentiments, saying: “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.”
In 2023, Bedford Media bought the fashion magazine i-D from Vice Media Group following its bankruptcy filing.
Speaking to the Guardian at the time, Karen North, a communications professor at the University of Southern California, said: “What’s happening is that people with the means are finding things they care about and deciding to rework them so they stay alive, and it’s not just traditional businessmen with the means any more.”
The latest deal marks another win for Kushner, who runs his venture capital firm, Thrive Capital. In recent years, Kushner’s $5.3bn company has backed an array of companies including Spotify, Slack, Instagram, Instacart and OpenAI.
In January, the firm sold a minority stake of 3.3% to a group of powerhouse investors including Walt Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger; Henry Kravis, co-founder of the private equity firm KKR; as well as the Indian business mogul Mukesh Ambani.
