Esquire is set to launch a French imprint.
Slated to debut in spring 2026 digitally and as a quarterly print publication, Esquire France will focus on fashion, sport and lifestyle. The magazine will target audiences not just in France, but also the Francophone nations of Monaco and St. Barth. Bruno Danto, the former editor in chief of Vogue Hommes, will serve as editorial director.
Esquire France, the publication’s 25th international edition, will be published by Danto’s newly formed company Kerroc Media, with support from Hearst Magazines International. Kerroc Media will be responsible for content creation, advertising and event production. Youri Djorkaeff, the French football champion, will serve as founding partner while former Condé Nast France CEO Didier Suberbielle will join as strategic advisor and entrepreneur Ken Masui will join as creative director and investor.
The push into the French-speaking market is the latest in a series of global Esquire expansions. This year alone, Hearst International has launched or relaunched five new editions of Esquire, in Brazil, Japan, India, Vietnam and Colombia.
“The men’s space in fashion is smaller, but I think it’s still a huge opportunity,” said Hearst Magazines International president Jonathan Wright. “Men are underserved in high-quality journalism … so I think it’s an important market.”
As print media faces dwindling readership and ad revenue, publishers are finding new ways to monetise. Esquire France subscribers, for instance, will be eligible to join the Esquire Club, an incoming membership program that will offer patrons access to events and cultural experiences such as concerts, watch previews, wine tastings and exhibitions.
“It’s a disruptive time [in print publication], but I don’t think it’s a declining time,” said Wright. “We’re very bullish on all the brands and the role that they could play in helping to entertain, inform, surprise people around the world for a long time to come.”
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