Launched in February 2007, Monocle is premium media brand with magazine, web, broadcast and retail divisions. Focusing on global affairs, business, culture and design, Monocle's mission is to keep an eye on the world.
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Monocle is published 10 times a year from its London headquarters, Midori House in Marylebone, and has bureaux in New York, Zurich, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Led by editor in chief and chairman, Tyler Brûlé, Monocle has an editorial team of 45. In addition it has 16 foreign correspondents reporting from Tel Aviv to San Francisco, Beirut to Bogotá and the network is growing continually.
Printed in the UK, the magazine focuses its distribution in the top 30 urban hubs in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and is available on newsstands in over 65 markets. Monocle's global distribution is 150,000 with 15,802 subscribers in over 100 markets worldwide, each paying a premium subscription of £80 annually. In addition, Monocle produces a twice-yearly seasonal newspaper, Monocle Mediterraneo and Monocle Alpino.
Monocle is a distinctive mix of smart journalism, international awareness and sharp design. In print and online, writers and photographers are dispatched to over 50 countries every month to deliver stories on forgotten states, alluring political figures, emerging brands, fresh forces in popular culture and inspiring design solutions. Monocle's annual Quality of Life issue, which ranks the top 25 most livable cities in the world, has become a trigger for global debate on improving our cities.
Coupled with online elements such as The Monocle Weekly audio bulletin, the daily Monocolumn and a series of exclusive films, documentaries and slideshows, Monocle has built an hourly, daily and weekly relationship with its readers to create an opinionated and predictive package that can be accessed anywhere in the world, at any time.
Breaking traditional media models, Monocle has also created a unique retail channel with freestanding shops in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York – along with an e-commerce site. The shops sell a mix of limited edition collaborations with brands such as Comme des Garçons, Tomorrowland, Valextra and Drakes, plus Monocle's own-designed posters, and notebooks. The best-selling Porter x Monocle series of Japanese-made bags and travel goods have become globally renowned.
In January 2011 Monocle launched a six-episode TV series, Monocle, screened internationally on business news network, Bloomberg TV. The 30-minute programme, hosted by Brûlé and filmed in London, offered a cutting-edge look at today's most pertinent conversations in business, media, design and culture – and featured field reports and interviews from an eclectic mix of thinkers, leaders and entrepreneurs.
Monocle is financed by a small international consortium of private investors and is published by Winkontent, the editorial and broadcast arm of Winkorp AG, Brûlé's Zurich-based holding company.
Monocle Facts:
- Monocle retails for £6 per issue and £80 for a yearly subscription.
- Monocle Mediterraneo and Monocle Alpino newspapers retail for £4
- Back issues of Monocle are only accessible online to Monocle subscribers.