Are Media, Australia’s leading premium content and experiences company, has today announced plans to supercharge its portfolio of young women brands with a relaunch of Girlfriend and the return of Elle as a digital pure play.

The number one brand for Gen Z girls for more than 30 years, Girlfriend will be refreshed in 2021 with a bright, optimistic new look that connects Are Media and its partners to the next generation of powerful women.

Girlfriend reaches two million Gen Zers and millennials each month across its always on mobile platform and social.

Are Media has also confirmed the world’s largest fashion magazine and media brand, Elle, is returning to Australia after striking an agreement with owner the Lagardère Group.

A digital pure play, Elle.com.au, which reaches 370,000 Gen Y women each month, will become a highly curated retail and shopping destination.

Girlfriend and Elle.com.au join Are Media’s growing portfolio brands aimed at young women which also includes SYRUP, a unisex digitally led fashion, beauty and culture brand targeting 16 to 22-year-olds launched earlier this year. More than 1.37 million young women are reached by Are’s brands each month.

Sarah-Belle Murphy, executive general manager at Are Media said: “This is a generation that wants to cut through the noise and hear about the topics that matter to them delivered on platforms they engage with most. As such, we continue to invest in growing our audience of young women, enhancing their experiences and offering our partners new ways to connect with them.

“A relaunched Girlfriend, with a curated and retail focused Elle.com.au, means that in conjunction with SYRUP, we have this cohort covered from all angles and can offer advertisers tailored and authentic solutions to reach them.”

Are Media’s push to grow its brands targeted young women follows the Luxury Trend Forecast in 2019 which identified this demographic will be critical to the future of the category. It commissioned its ‘OFFSCRIPT’ research which uncovered the emotional signature of Gen Z, with the findings driving the creation and development of SYRUP.