Graydon Carter’s Air Mail Set to Launch Style Vertical
Air Mail, the digital weekly edited by Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley, is launching a style vertical. Set to bow during the first half of 2024, the gender-agnostic vertical will be edited by Jessica Diehl, who has been contributing to Air Mail as an editor at large and spent 12 years working with Carter at Vanity Fair.
The new vertical, which is yet unnamed, will cover fashion from a service perspective and will be closely integrated with Air Supply, Air Mail’s digital storefront.
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In a statement, Diehl characterized the upcoming vertical as “less about [fashion industry] news and more about taste, curation and commerce.”
“Air Mail readers already know the best way to tie a trench coat, or where to buy the best pair of vintage jeans in London,” continued Diehl. “They need curation, discovery, and access to match their taste level and sophistication, which is what they come to Air Mail and Air Supply for in the first place.”
During a recent interview with WWD, Carter noted that the new vertical will further the publication’s revenue strategy around commerce as it works toward profitability. “The shop is the big growth area,” he told WWD.
Still, he added, “number one is the editorial aspect. Can we do something that is interesting and different than everybody else? I only do something if I can find the right partner in an editor. Advertising and the shop are what will power them forward financially.”
Air Mail launched its first vertical, Air Mail Look, edited by veteran beauty editor Linda Wells, earlier this year. The monthly beauty and wellness vertical also is underpinned by commerce. Last month, Air Mail unveiled a “re-engineered” Arts Intel Report featuring a more elegant user interface and broader offerings. Carter and his team are still in the planning stages for a print magazine/coffee table book. And an Air Mail brick-and-mortar shop and café on the corner of Hudson and Perry streets in Manhattan’s West Village is tentatively scheduled to open this spring.
Carter and Stanley have raised $32 million in two rounds of funding including a series B round, at the end of 2021, led by Standard Investments with participation from TPG Growth (a series A investor) and RedBird Capital Partners. Air Mail’s revenue is derived from subscriptions (readers pay $80 annually), advertising and commerce (Air Mail gets a commission on products purchased from the Air Mail shop).
Diehl previously worked in various roles at Vanity Fair, including style director, fashion director and creative director of fashion and style. Diehl was responsible for styling Vanity Fair’s cover shoots including Annie Leibovitz’s 2015 shoot with Caitlyn Jenner.
Prior to Vanity Fair, she worked at Allure (with Wells) and Marie Claire and then spent several years at Vogue working under Grace Coddington. After she left Vanity Fair, Diehl served as a consultant and stylist for numerous luxury brands including Christian Dior and Prada Beauty.
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