After a hiatus of 15 years, the Face, the style magazine known for its striking covers that helped launch the careers of Kate Moss, Alexander McQueen, Juergen Teller and Phoebe Philo, is back. Theface.com is online now, and will be followed by a quarterly magazine in September, with the aim of reclaiming its status as style bible of a generation.
“It feels like a perfect time for the Face to be coming back,” says the editor, Stuart Brumfitt. “In these uncertain times, we want to create a fun, smart, unifying place for style-, culture- and society-loving people to revel in.”
Dan Flower, the magazine’s managing director, agrees about the timing. “When the Face came out the first time [in 1980], there was a lot of political upheaval,” he says. He believes it will appeal to a newly politically aware generation, adding that there are comparisons to be drawn between the 80s and present day.
At its peak, the Face magazine sold 70,000 copies a month. Its covers – featuring the likes of Moss, Bart Simpson, Madonna, McQueen dressed as Joan of Arc, David Beckham or a 13-year-old boy dressed as a gangster – ensured it stood out on the newsstand, and it became a monthly pop-culture talking point during its 24-year run up to 2004.
Brumfitt says: “The covers were so powerful. There’s one cover for everyone out there. It gave you a snapshot of style at that moment in time but more through character and culture and lifestyle.” He is hoping to recapture that sense with the relaunch, which will seek to emulate the arresting covers, witty writing and a mix of content that touched on the A-list as well as pop culture, sport, current affairs and youth subculture.
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