Memo Pad On the Cover
The Middle East has a new luxury magazine.
Jessica Alba features on the cover of the inaugural edition of Madame Arabia, a quarterly publication aimed at ultra- high net worth women living in the Gulf region.
It marks the first international edition of Germany’s Madame magazine, under a licensing deal between Beautiful Minds Media GmbH and Arabian Publishing Media, the group founded by Emirati entrepreneur Asma Al Fahim.
Jessica Michault has been named editor in chief of Madame Arabia and group editor of APM. She joins from Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, where she held the title of group deputy editor.
Michault was previously executive editor of Odda magazine and online style editor at the International Herald Tribune, working alongside fashion critic
Suzy Menkes for 16 years. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and multiple issues of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar worldwide.
Founded in 1952,
Madame is considered Germany’s oldest fashion magazine still in existence.
Madame Arabia will benefit from Al Fahim’s strong connections with top luxury brands, royal families and key opinion leaders in the U. A. E., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman — the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC.
Al Fahim’s first magazine, Villa 88, founded in 2013, is in growth mode, with plans to publish offshoots dedicated to men and travel this year. The APM group also includes Lab Communications, a fullservice communications consultancy, and the digital media platforms UAE
Insider and Invest.
Madame Arabia will be published four times a year, with 10,000 printed copies distributed across the
GCC. It targets an affluent expatriate reader between 30 and 60 years old with a “smart luxury” approach that blends fashion coverage with in-depth pieces.
“She knows what she wants, goes after it, and doesn’t suffer any fools,” Michault wrote in her inaugural editor’s letter.
In addition to the cover interview with Alba, the issue showcases four Dubai- based expats: singer and content creator Layla Kardan, wellness entrepreneur Mary Cristine, artist and creative entrepreneur Nat Morcos and fitness entrepreneur Tracy Harmoush.
Marquee advertisers for the debut issue include Boucheron, Hermès, Cartier, Bulgari, Tod’s and Bottega Veneta.