Contempo Media, publisher of men's fashion mag Sharp, has added to its fashion portfolio and acquired S/Style & Fashion and M/Men of Style magazines from GD&C Media.

Geoffrey Dawe, GD&C owner, joins the Contempo management team as publisher of S/Style & Fashion and M/Men of Style, and will also serve as managing director of integrated publishing. GD&C will remain an independent operation owned by Dawe, with Heidi Ferris and Catherine Bridgman taking over its day to day management. It will continue to publish its other publications, including the Reporter.


Rita Silvan, a founding member and former editor of Elle Canada, has been brought on board as S/Style & Fashion's editor-in-chief. "Rita is one of the most respected editors in female fashion," Dawe said. "And she brings with her some of the best contributors in the world." Former editor Christopher Loudon is staying on board as upfront editor of the mag.

Contempo will offer advertisers a one-stop integrated media buy for multi-platform marketing, targeting the magazines' affluent readership. The company's clients include Audi Canada/U.S.A., Bell Media and Volkswagen Canada. S/Style's fall issue contained ads from Diesel, Chanel, Marc Jacobs and other major fashion and luxury brands.

The first issue under Contempo ownership will drop in April. Previously published twice a year, S/Syle will put out three editions in 2013 and go quarterly in 2014. Its circulation is 105,000, via newsstand, select newspapers and retail partners.

Its sibling mag, M/Men of Style, launched last year as an event publication; the inaugural issue was tied to the Canadian premiere of James Bond flick Skyfall. Dawe said M/Men will release two issues in 2013. Moving forward, the mag's publication schedule will stay based on special events, but distribution and editorial will become more Toronto-focused to differentiate from Sharp, which aims Canada-wide.

[*This story has been updated]