• by March 13, 2020

Highsnobiety, the digital publisher that blends commerce and content focused on streetwear trends, hasn't shied away from printing magazines, even as its target audience is more likely to spend time on smartphones.

This month, the media company, founded by David Fischer in his college dorm room as a blog about sneakers, introduced the first edition of a series of quarterly print magazines. The first issue is called HighStyle, and can be purchased directly from its website for $17.

HighStyle is a redesigned version of Highsnobiety magazine, which the company first introduced in 2010 as it expanded from its digital roots. The new title is the first one edited by Thom Bettridge, who previously worked for Interview and O32c, the influential magazine about contemporary culture.

"The Outfits Issue" of the magazine is its "larger-than-life ode to the art of magazine magazines," according to its website. In addition to showing new products, it also has a fashion spread with Atlanta rappers Migos and interviews with model Hailey Bieber and Kevin Parker, leader of the psychedelic rock band Tame Impala.

In an interview with the Business of Fashion, Bettridge said print media appeals to a subgroup of "cultural pioneers" seeking inspiration. Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app that is dominant in the fashion industry, informs the magazine's design.<

But creating a print magazine requires a longer-term outlook that's more proactive about anticipating trends, turning its brand into "a cultural producer rather than a cultural follower," Bettridge said.