Karlie Kloss to Reboot Life Magazine

Bedford Media, the holding company founded by model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss and her husband, investor Josh Kushner, has acquired the publishing rights to Life from Dotdash Meredith.

Bedford says that Life will be relaunched as a print magazine, with a "vibrant" digital and video presence.

"We see Life as an uplifting and unifying voice in a chaotic media landscape," said Kloss in a statement. "While Bedford is a new media company, we are deeply inspired by Life's iconic legacy and ability to connect diverse audiences with universal narratives of humanity."

Life was first published in 1883. In 1936, it was acquired by Time founder Henry Luce, who gave it a new editorial focus built around using photographs to tell stories of the news of the week.

Time Inc. shuttered Life magazine in 2000, citing its general interest focus.

The deal for Life suggests that Kloss and Kushner have broader media ambitions than previously thought. The company acquired i-D Magazine from Vice Media last year. "Blending iconic brands with new ways of doing business and reaching audiences, the company's strategy banks away from ubiquity and reach toward quality and depth," per Bedford's tagline, suggesting that the new Life will be more focused and less general interest.

"Life's legacy lies in its ability to blend culture, current events and everyday life — highlighting the triumphs, challenges and unique perspectives that define us," said Kushner, who will also serve as publisher of the magazine.

Dotdash Meredith, which acquired the remnants of Time Inc. in 2021, will retain Life's photo library and content archives and will continue to produce occasional special issues for newsstands built around single topics.