Men’s Style redesign signaled by first male cover star

Men’s Style magazine has announced a significant evolution of the title, choosing Tim Robards as the first male cover star in the magazine’s 12-year history.

Robards came to prominence on TEN’s first series of The Bachelor and has remained in the spotlight thanks to his appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

The cover shoot coincides with Robards being named as one of Men’s Style’s annual Men Of Influence, the magazine’s prestigious list recognising the achievements of a diverse range of Australian men under 45 years of age.

Other men on this year’s list include actor/author Matt Nable, comedian Joel Creasey, musician Vance Joy and celeb chef Miguel Maestre.

The winter issue also features a refined, sleek new look for Men’s Style.

On the new look and direction, Men’s Style Editor Michael Pickering said, “Men’s Style, which was launched at a time when “lad’s mags” were still ascendant as magazines for men, has always featured a beautiful female model on the cover, but it was very much time to mix it up and better reflect Men’s Style’s place as Australia’s premium fashion publication for men. Hence, readers will see both men and women on future Men’s Style covers."

Men’s Style suffered a 20.83% drop in readership year-on-year in the latest emma figures released last week. When Mediaweek spoke to Pickering last year, he said that the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. “People are involved with us more because of the environment than because we can offer huge circulation numbers to spruik. We’ve had a lot of advertisers who’ve been associated with the brand throughout its entire history.”