The Cut is stepping out of New York magazine’s print shadow.
This September, the Vox Media-owned publication, a vertical of New York magazine, will publish its viral essays, fashion coverage and pop culture hot takes in its first standalone print issue. In previous years, The Cut’s fall fashion issue appeared on the underside of New York during fashion month.
Editor-in-chief Lindsay Peoples said the decision to expand The Cut’s print offering is “the natural next step,” crediting the publication’s engaged audience — which often congregates in Instagram comment sections — for its confidence in the move.
“We’re constantly in conversation with our readers,” said Peoples. “This isn’t something that we just want to do, and there’s no appetite for.”
A standalone magazine, printed on heavy paper stock and in a larger trim size, will also serve as an appealing proposition for luxury advertisers. Already, ad sales for the upcoming issue have quadrupled compared to last year’s fall fashion issue. The Cut’s overall ad sales across print, digital and social media have doubled, according to a spokesperson from Vox Media.
“Within the larger [Vox-Media] portfolio, The Cut is the tip of the spear for our luxury audience,” said Geoff Schiller, chief revenue officer at Vox Media.
Should the edition be well-received, Vox Media plans to keep publishing print versions of The Cut twice a year, timed to fashion week.
The print entry comes at a mixed time for print media. Facing declining ad sales, countless publications have shuttered or downsized their own print editions in recent years: InStyle and Allure both in 2022, while last year, the American edition of Vogue dropped from 11 to 10 issues per year. But others have been dipping their toe back into the space in a bid to lure luxury advertisers. Nylon relaunched print in 2023, releasing two print issues a year timed to events where it would be hosting an activation, like Coachella.
The Cut seems to be taking a similar strategy: The fall issue will come to life in a variety of events, pop-ups and screenings which will be hosted alongside brand partners. The publication has been hosting monthly events across New York City designed to attract new readers, including a party at The Ripped Bodice bookstore in Brooklyn to celebrate its “Summer of Smut” week last month, and a gathering in honour of Frieze Week in partnership with fragrance label Byredo in May.
Still, the rest of Vox Media’s portfolio has not been immune to decline. Last year, the company shed 11 percent of its staff across two rounds of layoffs which primarily affected product, design and technology teams.
Should The Cut be able to drive engagement and revenue via its print channel, it will help show that “even in challenged markets, we can grow,” Schiller added.
