''Paper'' (also known as ''Paper Mag'') is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art, and film. Initially produced monthly, the magazine eventually became a quarterly publication, and a digital version was made available online at ''papermag.com''. In 2020, physical production of the magazine was paused following the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case was reported on January 20, and United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health and Human Services Secreta ...

. The publication continued to create and release content online via its website.

History

''Paper'' was founded in 1984 by Kim Hastreiter and

David Hershkovits David Hershkovits is an American writer and publisher. He was the co-founder of ''Paper'' magazine and is now president of Cultural Content Consultancy. Biography Hershkovits was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated with a BA in literature ...

, former editors at the ''

SoHo Weekly News The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (SWN) was a weekly alternative newspaper founded by music publicist Michael Goldstein and published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. Positioned as a competitor to ''The Village Voice'', it struggled financially. T ...

,'' with help from Lucy Sisman and Richard Weigand''.'' Beginning as a monthly print magazine in the form of a black and white 16-page fold-out, it has since transformed into a quarterly print and digital magazine. Past cover models include

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the celebrity sex tape ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

, CL,

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 20 ...

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

, and

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

. In 2017, Hastreiter and Hershkovits sold the company to ENTtech Media Group, an entertainment technology company founded by former

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

and Advanstar executive Tom Florio, and

Drew Elliott Drew Elliott (born April 27, 1981) was the Global Creative Director of MAC Cosmetics and a Creative Consultant on the reality television show ''America's Next Top Model''. Elliott was the Chief Creative Officer at ''Paper''. He studied pop cul ...

, the

Chief Creative Officer The title Chief Creative Officer (CCO) typically describes the highest-ranking position of a creative team within a media company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, ...

of ''Paper.'' Elliot left ''Paper'' in October 2019, to become the new Global Creative Director at

MAC Cosmetics M A C Cosmetics is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company has been headquartered in New York City since becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies in 1998. MAC is an acron ...

. In 2020, following the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, print production of the magazine was suspended. The final physical issue released was the Spring 2020 edition that featured

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

on the cover. Florio told '' WWD'' he was unsure when publication would resume, or if the company would continue with it at all, saying "Part of me is open enough to allow this thing to really roll out digitally and socially in the way where most people know Paper. Most people know Paper — like the kids, the Gen Z — through this social engagement. ayoffs areso terrible. I've never been in a situation where you couldn't ask more from people, but because of crazy life circumstances you have to make these decisions." The magazine's digital content was unaffected and continued to be published. Digital Director Justin Moran succeeded Elliot as editor-in-chief in July 2022. In April 2023, in the wake of reduced advertising revenues since the pandemic, the magazine's staff was laid off and editorial operations ceased. The company itself did not shut down, but was seeking alternative options to remain in operation. In September 2023, Paper resumed operations with Justin Moran returning as editor-in-chief after the publication was acquired by Brian Calle & Street Media in June.

"Break the Internet"

In November 2014,

was the cover star of the "Break the Internet" issue. Kardashian was interviewed by ''Paper'' contributor Amanda Fortini for the spread "No Filter: An Afternoon with Kim Kardashian". The photos for the issue were taken by Jean–Paul Goude. The shoot was a re-creation of Goude's "Champagne Incident", a series of photographs from his 1982 book ''Jungle Fever''. The cover photo, as well as the rest of the spread, featured a fully nude Kardashian. The story received over 34 million unique page-views by December 2014, more than double the number of page-views ''Paper'' normally received annually, and went on to generate more than 70 million monthly unique visitors to the website.

Books

Hastreiter and Hershkovits co-authored two books under the company's label. The first of the pair, published by Paper Publishing Company in association with

Distributed Art Publishers D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. is an American company that distributes and publishes books on art, photography, design, and visual culture.

in 1999, was titled ''From AbFab to Zen: Paper's Guide to Pop Culture'', and had photography from

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

''.'' The second, titled ''20 Years of Style: The World According to Paper'', was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

in 2004 and featured writing from

Michael Musto Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. He is best known as a columnist for ''The Village Voice'', ...

Isaac Mizrahi Isaac Mizrahi (born October 14, 1961) is an American fashion designer, actor, singer, television presenter and chief designer of the Isaac Mizrahi brand for Xcel Brands. Based in New York City, he is best known for his eponymous fashion lines. M ...

Pedro Almodovar Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

Todd Oldham Todd Oldham (born Jacky Todd Oldham; 1961) is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc and Todd Oldham Studios. His approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, books an ...

Patrick McMullan Patrick McMullan is an American photographer, columnist, television personality, and socialite. His photo work focuses on people, particularly A-list celebrities, superstar fashion designers, Model (person), models, actors, politicians, cultura ...

, and

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Paper Defunct magazines published in the United States Fashion magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Music magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1984 Magazines published in New York City 1984 establishments in New York City Magazines disestablished in 2020 Online magazines with defunct print editions Online magazines published in the United States