Clique Brands

Last updated
Clique Brands Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryMedia, marketing and consumer products
Founded2012;10 years ago (2012)
FoundersKatherine Power, Hillary Kerr
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
U.S.
Key people
Katherine Power (CEO)
Hillary Kerr, Chief Ideation Officer
ProductsObsessee, Collegefashionista, The Thirty, JoyLab
Website cliquebrands.com

Clique Brands Inc., formerly known as Clique Media Group, is a Los Angeles, California-based digital media and consumer products company. Founded in 2012, the company manages several fashion and lifestyle businesses, including shopping site Who What Wear.

Contents

History

Clique Brands was founded as Clique Media Group in 2012 by former Elle magazine West Coast editor Katherine Power and Elle contributor Hillary Kerr. The women had launched the fashion site Who What Wear in 2006, as the group's first media brand. [1] The group's strategy was to launch or acquire media properties for different consumer segments, and collaborate with various brands to develop tailored content for the different audiences. [2]

In 2013, Clique added beauty site Byrdie, and home and lifestyle shopping site MyDomaine. [3]

In August 2015, the company announced it had raised $USD8 million in funding from Amazon, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments and several existing investors. [3] In November, the company bought Canadian social media ecommerce startup Wantering. [4]

In March 2016, Clique launched a social-media only brand Obsessee, targeting Generation Z shoppers. [5] In May, the company published a book The Career Code. [6] In October, the company acquired the company CollegeFashionista. [7]

In March 2017, Clique added wellness brand The Thirty. [8] In June, the company secured a Series C funding round of $USD15 million, co-led by venture capital companies Greycroft and E.ventures. [9] Also in June, the company launched its first shopping app. [10] In July, the company launched the JoyLab line of activewear clothing with retailer Target, reportedly the first branded line that Target developed with an outside publisher. [10] In November, the company was named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list. [1]

By February 2018, the company had changed its name from Clique Media Group to Clique Brands Inc. [11]

In January 2019, the company sold Byrdie and MyDomain to American holding company IAC's Dotdash subsidiary, formerly known as About.com. [12]

In July 2019, the company sold CollegeFashionista back to its founders, Amy and Melissa Levin who subsequently sold the company to Her Campus Media [13]

In May 2022, it was announced Clique had sold Who What Wear to the UK publishing group, Future plc. [14]

Brands

The company's brands as of July 2018 are the following: [15] [7] [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Most Innovative Companies: Clique Media Group". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  2. ↑ "Clique Media Group, Owner Of Who What Wear, Becomes A Bona Fide Fashion Brand". fastcompany.com. 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  3. 1 2 "Amazon just invested in a company that helps you buy stuff celebrities love to wear". businessinsider.com. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  4. ↑ "Who What Wear's Parent Company Acquires Shopping Startup Wantering". techcrunch.com. 2015-11-24. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  5. ↑ "Clique Media Group Creates Obsessee, a Social Media-Only Content Brand". wwd.com. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  6. ↑ "5 Real-Talk Work Tips from The Career Code". instyle.com. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  7. 1 2 "Clique Media Group Adds CollegeFashionista To Portfolio Of Women-Focused Web Brands". forbes.com. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  8. 1 2 "Clique Media Group launches new vertical The Thirty, inspired by a surge in wellness traffic". glossy.co. 2017-03-31. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  9. ↑ "This Amazon-backed media startup has raised $15 million to make a big bet on commerce". recode.net. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  10. 1 2 "How Clique Media Group uses audience data to inform everything it does". digiday.com. 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  11. ↑ "Clique co-founder Katherine Power on how to succeed in a new era of digital media". digiday.com. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  12. ↑ "Dotdash, Riding Wave of Search Traffic, Acquires New Sites". wsj.com. 2019-01-08. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
  13. ↑ "Her Campus Media Acquires College Fashionista".
  14. ↑ Cameron, Isabel (2022-05-11). "UK publisher Future acquires Who What Wear -". Latest Retail Technology News From Across The Globe - Charged. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  15. ↑ "Who What Wear's Katherine Power: How We Grew A Fashion Site Into A Media Empire". forbes.com. 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
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