• by Michael Shields , September 14, 2004

Essence Communications and Time Inc.'s long awaited launch of new multicultural magazine Suede made its way to newsstands on Tuesday. Originally described by many as a younger version of Essence (Essence Communications is the majority owner of both magazines, while Time Inc. is a minority partner), the magazine is actually far more focused on fashion than its older sibling (which currently features a headline warning about cheating men).

"It's totally different from Essence," said Carla Louis, Media Planner at multicultural specialist agency the UniWorld Group. She was bullish on the magazine's look and feel.

"It's going to do well," she concluded. "There is nothing else on the market like it."

Suede, which is printed on oversized, glossy stock, is chock full of attitude, and appears aimed at a reader who is unabashedly a trendsetter. The letter from editor-in-chief Susan Boyd in issue one starts out by saying, "You are 'that girl,' adding later "you'll rock the Gucci's like nobody else."

The debut issue, which features singer Alicia Keys on the cover, mixes style, coverage, fashion, and celebrity news, culture, and gossip. In addition, there is service-type editorial that is specifically geared for African Americans. For example, "The Remix," its beauty coverage, "answers the questions the young women of color ask - from the right shade of foundation to the edgiest shade of lipstick."

Similarly, "The Roots" discusses special care for African American hair.

Yet the magazine doesn't appear to be strictly an African American book, but rather one geared for an audience that is accustomed to a convergence of racial perspectives.

"It has a real multicultural feel," said UniWorld's Louis. "It's hip, it's funky."

Essence says that "Suedespeaks to a new American woman urban, always cosmopolitan; as downtown as she is uptown; cultured and multi-cultural; black, white, Latin, and Asian and always on the edge of fashion, culture, and entertainment"

Business-wise, the magazine is starting out small. The initial rate base is 250,000 for the first two issues (the debut issue and a holiday issue in December). The plan is to publish 10 issues in 2005, though that frequency has been described as "fluid," dependent on the initial success of the magazine.

There appears to be a void for a magazine targeted to this younger demographic. While Essence's median age is 35, according to MRI, venerable African American-geared titles Jet (39) and Ebony (37) skew older and are offer more mainstream content.

"Suedeis sparking an important conversation with a largely untapped audience," said editor-in-chief Boyd in a statement. "She's energized, savvy, informed, and loves diversity and culture. Suede is going to give it to her with incredible style."

Yet Essense and Time Inc. will need to exert some marketing muscle for Suede to succeed. UniWorld''s Louis brought up the similarly-themed Honey, which along with Heart & Soul folded in late 2003.

So far, Suede's list of advertisers appear to be of the blue-chip variety, and extends beyond solely African American targeted campaigns as well as the fashion category. The debut issue includes Target, Estée Lauder, Tommy Hilfiger, Toyota, and American Express, among others.