SINGAPORE: Men's lifestyle magazine FHM has launched FHM
Collections, a bi-annual men's fashion magazine with a print run of
30,000 and distribution in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Jake Hamilton, editor of FHM, pointed to a need for such a magazine as
men in affluent Asian cities are becoming more style-conscious. "There
is no major men's fashion magazine in Singapore and FHM Collections has
been a very successful brand extension in the UK and US," Hamilton
said.
The fashion title is targeting a slightly older reader - late 20s - than
its racy sibling, which is renowned for its laddish humour and pictures
of scantily dressed women. "The Collections' reader is far more of an
urban creature and from overseas experience we've found a significant
proportion actually work in media or the fashion industry," he
added.
Content in the Spring/Summer issue includes exclusive photos from the
Paris, London and Milan fashion shows and an interview with ageing rock
star Tommy Lee, who also appears on the front cover. This is
supplemented by local content such as editorial on men's fashion in Asia
and interviews with Asian designers such as Singaporean Wykindd
Song.
The title, which hit newsstands earlier this month, said it exceeded its
advertising target, with support from big name fashion labels such as
Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and Chivas Regal. But some
advertisers - Gucci and Prada - are taking a "wait and see" attitude,
according to Richard Schofield, general manager of FHM publisher Emap
South-east Asia.
"Fashion advertisers want their ads to appear in a high quality
environment and I think this issue proves we can deliver that," he said.
The Autumn/Winter issue will appear in mid-September.
