• by Sara Guaglione , March 29, 2017

Time Inc. is rebranding its millennial fashion and beauty brand StyleWatch, naming it PeopleStyle beginning with its September 2017 issue and bringing all of People’s fashion coverage under the one brand.

PeopleStyle will have more celebrity fashion than StyleWatch, but otherwise, will remain the same, according to People editor-in-chief and editorial director of the Style & Entertainment Group at Time Inc., Jess Cagle.

As PeopleStyle, the magazine will reduce its frequency from 11 times a year to eight. Bethany Heitman, who was recently named editor-in-chief of StyleWatch, will partner with Andrea Lavinthal, beauty and style director of People, to lead PeopleStyle. Both editors will report to Cagle.

StyleWatch was a section of People magazine until 2007, when it became a standalone monthly publication. PeopleStyle is currently a section in People magazine and on a People.com vertical.

In his editor’s letter in a recent People issue, Cagle wrote: “There are more brand extensions for PeopleStyle on the way, and some exciting e-commerce initiatives.”

Last year, StyleWatch and InStyle were combined to form a group under Time Inc. called The InStyle Collection. That group has since been dismantled, likely allowing for InStyle to build on its luxury advertising business and for StyleWatch to go back to being a part of the People brand.

Time Inc. also recently reorganized its company structure to focus on category sales, as an effort to drive digital advertising across brands. Forming PeopleStyle means Time Inc. can capitalize on its style coverage under one umbrella, as well as tap into the millennial audience.

“StyleWatch’s young audience is remarkably receptive to advertisers, and it will play a key role in Time Inc.’s e-commerce expansion. By rebranding as PeopleStyle, the magazine becomes part of a singular multimedia brand that lives on digital, mobile and social platforms and as a weekly print section in People,” Cagle stated.

Cece Ryan, who oversees sales at PeopleStyle, stated this is a “win-win” for their advertising partners, who can now “reach the most engaged brand loyalists who shop the biggest trends each season.”

People’s digital audience reaches more than 100 million users monthly across platforms.