Full Breakdown
Life Magazine Returns as a Quarterly Print Publication Backed by Karlie Kloss
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Event
Life magazine, the historic photojournalism brand founded in 1936 by Henry Luce, will resume publishing next month as a quarterly print title. The revival will be supported by model-entrepreneur Karlie Kloss through her Bedford Media company and will be complemented by a website, social-media presence, short-form video, documentary films, and events.
02
Background & Context
Life built its reputation on visual storytelling, documenting World War II, the space race, and the civil-rights movement. Its first issue featured Margaret Bourke-White’s photograph of the Fort Peck Dam, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The magazine showcased photographers such as Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and Gordon Parks, and published Ernest Hemingway’s novella *The Old Man and the Sea* and Norman Mailer’s coverage of the 1969 Apollo 11 landing. Circulation peaked in the 1960s at more than eight million copies. Television’s rise led Time Inc. to cease the weekly edition in 1972; a monthly version ran from 1978 until 2000, when regular publication ended again.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Key Figures
Karlie Kloss — Model, entrepreneur, and founder of Bedford Media, backing the Life revival.
Henry Luce — Founder of Life (1936) and also of Time and Fortune magazines.
04
Official Statements & Responses
Kloss said the project aims to preserve and protect Life’s legacy, emphasizing the magazine’s historic ability to bring the world closer together. The new Life will blend the brand’s classic visual focus with modern digital formats, seeking to navigate a media landscape transformed by the internet, social media, and artificial intelligence.
05
Verbatim Quotes
- “What made Life extraordinary was its ability to make the world feel closer,” — Ms. Kloss
06
Data & Statistics
- Original Life’s circulation exceeded eight million copies in the 1960s.
- The revived edition will be a quarterly print publication, supplemented by digital video and event initiatives.
The relaunch positions Life to re-enter a fragmented media market, leveraging its storied past while adapting to contemporary content consumption habits.