The British media company, best known in the fashion industry for acquiring the US edition of Marie Claire last year, has purchased the Los Angeles-based fashion and shopping website for an undisclosed sum.
WhoWhatWear, founded in 2006 by former magazine editors Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr, was part of a wave of fashion blogs started in the mid-aughts that grew into a full-blown content-and-commerce businesses. With West Hollywood as its home base, WhoWhatWear’s cutely collaged newsletter documented the rise of paparazzi fashion, and became an essential shopping guide for Millennials growing tired of print magazines. In 2015, WhoWhatWear announced that it was teaming up with Target to launch an apparel and accessory line, a major move that was the start of a push away from media. Then, in January 2019, parent-company Clique rebranded as Clique Brands, selling off beauty site Byrdie and home decor site MyDomaine to Dotdash to focus on product. Later that year, it launched skin care brand Versed. Over 16 years, the company raised $15 million in funding, and counts Amazon among its investors.
Power, who served as CEO of Clique Brands for several years, now runs beauty brands Merit and Versed, and also co-founded Avaline, a direct-to-consumer wine business, with the actress Cameron Diaz. Kerr, currently chief content officer at Who What Wear, will continue to lead the company alongside other senior level executives. She’s also the host of the hit podcast Second Life, which will now be a Future property.
A spokesperson for Future declined to comment on the future of WhoWhatWear’s deal with Target, or its higher-priced fashion line that’s sold direct-to-consumer and launched last year.
Future is mostly known as the publisher of Guitar World and other niche titles, but its push into women’s lifestyle is notable. Who What Wear’s affiliate marketing prowess — it’s a top-rated converter among women’s lifestyle sites — and relationship with advertisers outside of Future’s traditional purview was the likely draw.
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Hearst Sells American Marie Claire to Future
After 27 years as a joint venture at Hearst and Marie Claire Album, the US edition of the magazine gets a single owner.
