''Stellar Magazine'' (stylised as ''STELLAR MAGAZINE'') is a glossy
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
lifestyle and fashion magazine targeted at female readers in the age group of eighteen to thirty-four. It is part of the VIP publishing franchise of
Michael O'Doherty. ''Stellar'' was launched on 15 October 2008 as the second of O'Doherty's solo business ventures, following the publication of the teenage-oriented advice magazine ''
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
'' which was launched on 31 October 2002. O'Doherty had previously engaged in a number of co-ordinated business ventures in Ireland with his former business partner
John Ryan; ''Stellar'' succeeded the co-owned establishments of ''
Magill
''Magill'' was an Irish politics and current affairs magazine founded by Vincent Browne and others in 1977. ''Magill'' specialised in investigative articles and colourful reportage by journalists such as Eamonn McCann (who wrote its anonymous ' ...
'' in 1997 and ''
VIP
A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots.
Examples inc ...
'' in 1999 and preceded later titles such as the unsuccessful ''
New York Dog'' magazine which was based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and aimed at the city's animal lovers. ''Stellars chief rivals are the ''
Irish Tatler
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
'' and ''
Image
An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
''.
Launch
The magazine was launched on the night of 16 October 2008 at Krystle nightclub in Dublin despite the downturn in the Irish economy and the complications of slower advertising spending. It was proclaimed by its owner as an alternative to ''Image'' and the ''Irish Tatler''. The editor is Susan Vasquez who suggested the magazine would be "kind of like an older version of ''Kiss''". Vasquez is the former editor of the teenage magazine, having helped launch the magazine.
The launch issue of 164 pages included a photo spread of aesthetically pleasing barmen in Dublin and a male perspective on females who publicly discuss their ex-boyfriends. O'Doherty's target circulation for year one of the magazine is between 12,000 and 15,000.
O'Doherty's criticisms
O'Doherty criticised rival Irish magazines by suggesting that they had transformed into fashion catalogues to feature the latest fashionable shoe, handbag or eyeshadow. He singled out ''
Glow'' for particular criticism and suggested that his own magazine was not on the same level as it. O'Doherty suggested ''
U'' had altered since starting to publish fortnightly, saying that it was far more "tabloidy" and had less substance in its current format. He discussed the similarities with British rivals such as ''
Glamour'' or ''
Cosmo
Cosmo may refer to:
Business and media
* Cosmopolitan (magazine), ''Cosmopolitan'' (magazine), a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo"
* ''Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure'', a 1992 video game
* Cosmo On-Line, a Brazilian generic Intern ...
'' and said that whilst some of the people featured in ''Stellar'' would have previously featured in ''VIP'' it would overall be a different publication, more of a "grown-up version of ''Kiss''".
The magazine has since launched its own website STELLAR.ie.
"STELLAR MAGAZINE - COMING SOON"
''Stellar''. Accessed 13 January 2009.
References
External links
Official site
{{Authority control
Magazines published in Ireland
Magazines established in 2008
Mass media in Dublin (city)
Women's fashion magazines
Lifestyle magazines