Condé
Nast on Wednesday announced the launch of its LGBT community platform
them.
In a statement, Condé
Nast, which publishes a diverse range of titles including Vogue,
Vanity Fair, GQ, The New Yorker, Wired and Bon Appétit,
described them as “a next-generation community platform.”
“Them chronicles and
celebrates the stories, people and voices that are emerging and
inspiring all of us, ranging in topics from pop culture and style to
politics and news, all through the lens of today's LGBTQ community,”
the company said.
Phillip Picardi, digital editorial
director at Teen Vogue and Allure, will helm them
as the platform's chief content officer. Picardi is openly gay.
“If I've learned anything from my
time at Teen Vogue, it’s that young people are dominating our
culture and they're going to shape it in a way that we really weren't
expecting, particularly in matters of gender and sexuality,”
Picardi, 26, told BusinessOfFashion.com.
“Wouldn't it be incredible if Condé Nast were the first publisher
to really step up to the plate and want to be the ones who were
telling those stories in an authentic and personal way?”
Them is the first project from
Condé Nast's new
incubator, which takes projects from concept to launch.
“Them is all about the future
of culture and speaks to the heart of the most influential
demographic – Gen Z,” said Pamela Drucker Mann, chief revenue and
marketing officer of Condé Nast. “This is the perfect example of
why we created the incubator at Condé Nast – to identify, support
and bring to life the incisive and insightful ideas that come from
our incredibly talented teams every day.”
Launch partners include Burberry,
Google, Lyft and GLAAD. Them
goes live on Thursday, October 26.