xoJane and xoVain founder Jane Pratt, who sold the young women-focused brands to Time Inc. in 2015, is looking to buy back the properties. Time Inc. will not add
new content to xoJane and xoVain in 2017.
A Time Inc. spokesperson confirmed to Publishers Daily that content will remain on the xoJane.com sites for the next
year, but nothing new will be added. It is not clear what this means for staffers.
According to a WWD report, Pratt is shopping the sites
to Vice Media, Bustle, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop and Elevation Partners, a media company started by Bono.
Silicon Valley angel investors have also expressed
interest, notes WWD.
Pratt founded xoJane in 2011 and its sister beauty site xoVain in 2013. In September, the trade magazine reported Pratt was interested in
buying back her titles. The move came after Time Inc. announced plans to combine xoJane, xoVain, Mimi and The Outfit under the newly formed InStyle Collection in March,
to beef up InStyle’s digital presence.
The company hoped the InStyle Collection would more than double the volume of original content on InStyle.com. While most of the
sites continue to operate on their own landing pages, beauty site Mimi now lives as a vertical on InStyle.com.
InStyle increased the amount of content it syndicated
from xoJane and xoVain, as well.