The couple will publish the title via Kloss’ Bedford Media
Once the best source for a visual document of modern culture, Life magazine will live again thanks to model Karlie Kloss and her husband, Joshua Kushner (brother of Jared). The couple will publish the title in print and online via Bedford Media, according to Variety, which detailed a long lineage of Biblical begetting to explain all of Life’s publishers since 1883 leading up to this point.
“We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape,” Kloss, who is CEO of Bedford Media, said in a statement. “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.”
“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,” said Kushner, Life’s new publisher who is also a billionaire and runs the venture capital firm Thrive Capital.
The couple’s Beford Media recently revivified i-D magazine. Variety reports that the terms of Bedford’s purchase of the previous owner, Dotdash Meredith’s rights to Life were unknown but that Bedford would run the editorial, revenue, and media strategies of the title. The previous owner would retain the rights to Life’s photography and content going back to the 1930s, as public domain laws dictate. It will also publish special issues of Life using that content.
Other than a gap between 1972 and 1978, Life came out consistently from the late 19th century until it went into temporary retirement as a regular print publication in 2000. Now Life will live again.