Nylon Acquires Simply Stylist, Ups Brand-Supported Events

Nylon Media has acquired fashion and beauty conference business Simply Stylist to connect consumers with its roster of influencers and celebrities. The move provides opportunities for brands to support the events, as well as attract engaged followers.

Simply Stylist, founded in 2012 by Sarah Boyd, will continue to operate as “Simply” and work closely with Nylon and Socialyte, the publisher’s influencer casting agency with about 2,000 influencers on its platform. It will build and extend its talent roster, conference and brand activation businesses and video content.

Jamie Elden, president of Nylon and chairman of Socialyte, stated the acquisition “adds a layer to the business, which will enable us to connect and engage at a much deeper level with our consumers, brands and leading talent in the industry.”

Simply Stylist manages a roster of celebrity talent as bloggers. Its conferences span across the U.S. and Dubai. Boyd will continue leading the business and report to Elden.

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Elden told Publishers Daily Simply Stylist and Socialyte will work together to “amplify” and “promote” events, as well as increase scale.

“Beauty brands were saying how great we were doing with content, social, print, digital ,but asked how can we look at getting more of a one-to-one connection with consumers,” he said. 

“That’s where Simply comes in because they throw large conferences, with a panel, where consumers can come and learn how to use different beauty products, how to build their own social profile, and provide opportunities for brands who want more one-to-one connections. If that can scale, that’s a win-win,” Elden said.

The acquisition makes it “seamless” for agencies and brands to tap into these opportunities, he noted.

Simply Stylist conferences are “very stripped down” and encourage Q & A sessions to let consumers talk to influencers and “get to know how they got there, their journey,” Elden said.

He suggested one idea to expand the business is to launch a shopping mall tour with smaller expos across the top 30 shopping malls in the U.S., where consumers can interact with fashion and beauty stylists.

All such events would be supported by Nylon content. For example, video of conferences would be distributed on Nylon’s social platforms. Elden said a “benchmark” for these events is TED Talks.

“They have a very simple format but it works — not only if you are there, but when you watch it you are there as well. It’s a very real, authentic experience and a great one-to-one connection. People will share it because it is valuable,” he said.

Elden hopes the conference business will “bring social conversation and discussion. As a media company, you have your consumers who read your content, you have brands that want to be around it, and you hope people like it, share it, and comment upon it.”

Elden said just a few years ago, Nylon was “buying some print, some digital and a bit of social,” but now it is focused on growing into a media company with a range of businesses — from the content studio it launched last year to its new TV and video programming production studio, in partnership with talent and literary agency United Talent Agency (UTA). 

With the addition of Simply, Nylon claims it now reaches 45 million uniques and more than 140 million on social platforms.

Nylon Media recently revived its men's fashion title Nylon Guys. It will appear as a supplement to Nylon magazine’s March, June/July and September issues and in 2018 will roll out as a standalone, bimonthly publication.

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