Wiederin believes now felt like a particularly fitting time to reintroduce the title, in the wake of the Me Too movement and Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing. “We wanted to create a link to the 70s, when it was founded and where it comes from, and create a new interpretation of that – as funny as it sounds, even certain content that was relevant back then is still relevant now.” Courtesy of the artist and DeBoer Gallery, LA Photograph by Catherine Servel For me that goes hand in hand.” Photograph by Myla Dalbesio Back cover, Shannon Cartier Lucy, Woman With Machete, 2020. “I don’t believe in just creating an aesthetic which doesn’t have anything to do with the content. “I link content and design as much as I can,” he explains. He says his approach was to create a framework that would let Playgirl’s stories sing.

Top image: Chloë Sevigny photographed by Mario Sorrenti Above: photograph by Harley Weir Photograph by Vanina Sorrenti Aminatou Sow shot by Andre WagnerĪlex Wiederin – who’s also worked with Dazed & Confused, The Face and Another Magazine – serves as creative director for the mag and says it’s “the idea of telling stories, not just having a combination between text and image” that drew him to the project.Īccording to Wiederin the redesign process was complicated, partly because people engage less with printed matter now than when the original Playgirl magazine launched, and also because plans to relaunch the mag were interrupted by the arrival of Covid-19. In terms of appearance, the title makes something of a return to its early glory days – which means a 70s-inflected typeface, created especially for the mag, and a focus on big, bold photography contributed by Harley Weir, Elinor Carucci and Myla Dalbesio, and featuring both male and female nudity. The first new issue of the magazine, which will now come out once every year, is helmed by a mostly female editorial team, and includes stories that cover everything from mental health, female activists, the patriarchy and parenting to female friendship and BDSM.

Just over ten years since its final print issue Playgirl magazine has come back to life, with a renewed focus on the original, feminist slant that defined it in the 1970s and 80s.

Playgirl magazine archive