MILAN – The cross-pollination between fashion, art, design and architecture is on a roll and Hearst Italia wants in.
The publishing house said Wednesday it is launching a new magazine called “About:” centered on architecture and to be published twice a year. The title is bilingual, with each issue coming in English and Italian.
The hard-copy glossy is to be flanked by a “multimedia global platform,” Hearst Italia said, which includes a website and social media presence. Events are also part of the new magazine’s offering, as is SuperAcademy, an educational platform for professionals.
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The magazine bills itself “the global architecture platform” in reference to its community building ambition. An About: membership program is to be launched at a later stage.
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About: is part of the Hearst Global Design + Architecture division led by managing director Roberta Battocchio and comprising the Italian editions of Elle Decor and Marie Claire Maison.
“About: was born from the desire to give voice and tools to a community of professionals who, now more than ever, are seeking relevant content, an international perspective, and meaningful spaces for dialogue,” said Battocchio.
“As players in the communication space, we firmly believe this project represents a new editorial model, an ecosystem of value… This initiative stems from a modern, forward-looking understanding of architecture, not merely as a design discipline, but as a cultural force with the power to shape lifestyles, drive sustainable development, and influence cities and the future of society,” she added.
About: has named Elle Decor alum Alessandro Valenti as editor in chief. He will remain on board at the sister publication continuing in his role at the magazine’s website, in addition to leading the About:’s rollout and development alongside deputy editor Giulia Ricci, who joined Hearst Italia last year.
The first About: issue, titled “The Collective,” hits newsstands on Friday and is to be celebrated with a party on Wednesday in Venice, on the eve of the opening of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, running May 8 to Nov. 23. To mark the event and magazine’s debut, the new Hearst Italia publication will distribute About: Journal, a leaflet-style guide to the Biennale exhibition.
The seminal “The Collective” issue spans 260 pages, with a graphic project by British art director Kuchar Swara which sets the blueprint for the glossy. It is organized around four sections called Elements, Essays, Projects and Companies, focusing on architectural elements, reflections on the role of architecture in everyday life, design projects and design firms’ solutions.
“About: seeks to explore the current state of architecture as a broad field where design entertains dialogues with other disciplines to shape the present and lay the groundwork for the future. [It’s a view on] architecture that respects local contexts, moves beyond opportunistically global mechanisms, and is attuned to its relationship with other species and bodies of knowledge, all in service of designing with and for the Earth,” Valenti offered. “That’s why About: investigates topics, charts new maps, and traces projects, telling their stories through fresh narratives,” he said.
The second issue of the magazine is scheduled for November.