With the cover of Kylie Jenner, HommeGirls begins its next chapter

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Home girlsThe independent magazine and clothing brand founded by designer Takon Panichgul has landed its biggest cover star yet – Kylie Jenner.

On sale on May 4, the issue has four additional covers, models Emily Ratajkowski, Kiko Mizuhara, Paloma Elessor and Alec Weck. But the starlighting of Jenner’s magnificence — and the fact that it was her team that first pitched to the publication, according to creative director Jane Brill — marks a first. Boys girlsAt the next level, there is Panichgul.

Since its launch in 2019, Home girls It’s gone from a secret Instagram to an in-love magazine and online publication. But while the advent of new print publications is rare enough, the growing and commercially successful ones are even more so. The audience is still small – it has 30,000 unique visitors online every month. The print circulation is 90,000 – but the company is profitable, and revenues are expected to grow 85% year-on-year from 2021 to 2022. The numbers were boosted by the clothing business selling shirts, boxers, trench coats and uncut tees and saws. By 2022, shareholders will double.

Through the content, Home girls He built his business by focusing on a specific look — women wearing menswear or menswear-inspired clothing — and constantly signing new luxury advertisers. To date, the magazine has worked with Chanel, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Lewis and Marc Jacobs. Chanel Beauty, Celine and J.Crew are sponsoring spreads in the April issue. In production, Home girls Slowly but surely, the clothing line grew, which is now stocked by retailers such as Bergdorf Goodman and Net-a-Porter.

“We explained Home girls It’s great and obviously, now it’s about trying to figure out ways to expand the community in kind,” Panichgul said.

The answer to trick-or-treat fashion

Home girls It’s something of a comeback engine for 2000s fashion star Panichgul. After several attempts to relaunch his Thakoon label in 2016 with the backing of investor Silas Choo and 2019 team up with DTC cashmere brand Nadam to launch Thakoon as a low-cost digital label. (Panicgul has since parted ways with the company, and Nadam did not respond to requests for comment on Thakun’s current operations.)

Panichgul started Home girls As a passion project after watching fashion girl friends use men’s clothing as a casual uniform. It’s a sense of style that doesn’t feel like it’s getting enough attention from existing publications and retailers. He thought the concept was different but still rich and broad.

His editorials are off the cuff and feature a personal style and analyzed backstory. Creative director Brill sums up the vibe as “white Hens t-shirts and Chanel jackets.” Interviews often highlight creators who embody fluid sartorial philosophies: designer Martin Rose and French stylist Camille Bidalt-Waddington in the latest issue, which is a 16-page spread on White Keys as a cultural force.

“We’re big believers in letting our instincts and gut drive things… Discovery is a big part of publishing for us: new voices, new perspectives. When it comes to those things, we are complacent and obsessive,” Brill said.

The magazine advertises Panichgul’s tailored clothing designs and provides a platform to showcase the outfits. Having the print as a guide helped Panichgul create simple, refined pieces and avoid overproduction. The result, he says, is clothing people want to wear at a lower price than his previous businesses. Products sold averaged more than 75 percent off.

“I pay attention to the community around me. [Reaching people] It’s not about looking at a business plan and working down from valuations and fake numbers… that’s a false promise,” Panichgul said.

The business model is perfect for today’s conditions, which make it difficult for a magazine to survive on advertising dollars alone. Independent brands in fashion find it difficult to stand out on the runway compared to luxury big players. Branding through the magazine and channels fits with today’s dynamic where consumers find brands online, Panichgul said.

“[Fashion] It was really about runway approaches and being able to attract a few players, and once you did that, it was a problem of going down,” he said. “I don’t think so anymore.”

HommeGirls looks forward.

Panichgul says he has prioritized growing DTC over the past four years, ensuring he understands the consumer and crafting a strong, intuitive storytelling strategy for the magazine that appeals to people who have an insider’s understanding of his point of view. A huge part of that is throwing things at the wall and “seeing where the chips fall,” Brill said. One example is Kylie’s cover, which may come as a surprise to some readers.

Now, the brand is poised to pick up the pace of growth in both content and business.

Panichgul wants to strengthen the editorial team – adding more full-time staff and contributors – so Home girls It can make more partnerships and explore new content models. Last year, the company hired a new features director, fashion director and managing director, and issue 9 Masthead included about 30 names. Already, the company has done mini-issues, editions and physical activities focused on the brand.

Panichgul, who didn’t initially take investors to bolster his vision, is now open to a shot, but wants the truth. Home girls Believers, who understand the business model and see its potential.

“It’s important when we can focus on the direction of growth,” Panichgul said. “I want people who believe in the brand; I don’t just want money.”

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