The Face, once known as the coolest magazine, is making a comeback. The wildly popular British magazine is being rebooted but will it manage to stay afloat in the world of the internet?
The Face, otherwise known as the style bible to young adults during the 80s and 90s, is in the process of being relaunched. Created by British journalist Nick Logan in 1980, The Face was a revolutionary magazine that dealt with fashion, music and culture. Although only running for 24 years, The Face was highly regarded as the epitome of cool. The publication grew so powerful that it would change the culture of pop and style over its course. Now, it’s being brought back to life by the owner of dance magazine Mixmag, who will relaunch The Face online, with the first issue speculated for mid-April.
The Face has been highly regarded as a revolutionary text that shaped the 21st century, but there are doubts about its success in such a digital age. The magazine was created pre-internet and with so many competing sites and streaming services, many are questioning The Face’s revival.
Today all you have to do is search a word on your smartphone or computer and you are flooded with an overwhelming amount of information in a matter of seconds. People are more likely to read a tweet over reading a full magazine article so the challenge for The Face will be how they will engage readers. According to The New York Times, The Face editor Stuart Brumfitt states “One thing we’re doing with the website is doing a lot of audio on there… we were like audio is the new text.”
Another challenge is whether the online publication can keep the original voice of The Face. Managing director Dan Flower stated to The Business of Fashion that the revival is like “a double-edged sword” and that readers won’t hesitate to criticise if the original tone has gone.
The news of the revival of The Face got a lot of people talking and many are highly anticipating its release. The magazine featured some of music, film, and fashions most notorious including Kate Moss, Nirvana, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jean Paul Gaultier, just to name a few. But the magazine wasn’t restricted to these topics. It often featured current social issues such as the rise of neo-Nazis and child soldiers in Somalia – something that made The Face more than just a pop culture magazine.
The Face’s revival will be distributed online with quarterly issues instead of monthly as well as taking to some social media platforms through a tribute Instagram account made by creator Nick Logan and his son, earlier this week.
For the teenagers growing up in the 80s and 90s, The Face provided, not only an escape but, a sense of community. By seeing photos and reading stories of things they never even dreamt about, The Face revolutionised pop culture. The challenge is for it to stay this way. Regardless of social media and the endless world of the internet, if The Face can produce controversial and raw content, there is no telling in how far it will go.
Do you still read magazines, or are you more inclined to read something shorter on social media? Let us know in the comments.