''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 The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

. Digital content still continues to be published via the website.

History

''Paper'' was founded in 1984 by Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits, former editors at the ''

SoHo Weekly News The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (also called the ''SoHo News'') was a weekly alternative newspaper published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. The paper was founded in 1973 by Michael Goldstein (1938–2018). History The first issue was published on ...

,'' 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 (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

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. Th ...

, CL,

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

, and

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...

. 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 Montrose Nast, and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The company's media ...

and Advanstar executive Tom Florio, and

Drew Elliott Drew Elliott (born April 27, 1981) is 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 cultur ...

, the

Chief Creative Officer A chief creative officer (CCO) is the highest ranking position of the creative team within a company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, and branding associated with ...

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

MAC Cosmetics MAC Cosmetics, stylized as M·A·C, is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto, Canada in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company is headquartered in New York City after becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies i ...

. In 2020, following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, 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. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

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 continues to be published. In July 2022, Justin Moran succeeded Elliot as editor-in-chief—Moran previously served as Digital Director.

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

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

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

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. Musto is best known as a columnist for '' The Village Voi ...

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

Isaac Mizrahi Isaac Mizrahi (born October 14, 1961) is an American fashion designer, 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. Mizrahi was prev ...

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; October 22, 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 desig ...

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, models, actors, politicians, cultural icons and the ...

, and

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1964) is an American fashion designer. She was named one of the "Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade", and in 2009 earned the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America ( ...

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