About Marie Claire Australia

Marie Claire Australia

marie claire Australia is a monthly women's fashion magazine published in Sydney by Are Media. The Australian edition of the international marie claire brand — founded in France in 1937 and now published in more than 30 countries — it has been in print locally for three decades, positioning itself as the "thinking woman's brand": high-end fashion and beauty coverage combined with in-depth journalism, cultural commentary and lifestyle content. In March 2025 it marked its 30th anniversary with a print redesign and a year-long anniversary campaign.

Overview

marie claire Australia sits at the premium end of the Australian women's magazine market. Its editorial identity blends luxury fashion and accessories coverage with substantive journalism — think pieces, investigative reports and cultural commentary — aimed at what the publisher calls a smart, affluent audience. The brand's tagline positioning as the thinking woman's magazine distinguishes it from purely visual fashion titles: the March 2025 redesign explicitly set out to keep "in-depth journalism" at the focal point, with articles the editors describe as the kind readers bring up in conversation with friends.

The magazine is published monthly in print, with digital, video and social extensions, and is supported by a sibling brand, Marie Claire Lifestyle Australia, within Are Media's fashion and beauty portfolio.

History

The marie claire brand was founded in France in 1937 and grew into one of the world's leading women's media brands, published in more than 30 countries. The Australian edition launched in the mid-1990s and is now marking its 30th year in the local market.

Its Australian publishing history runs through the Murdoch magazine empire: in 2004 Murdoch Magazines — Matt Handbury's company, a former corporate sibling within News Corp Australia — sold marie claire, Better Homes and Gardens and Men's Health to Pacific Magazines, then owned by Seven West Media. Pacific listed marie claire as "the nation's leading fashion brand" among its flagship titles. In 2017 Pacific rolled out new "premium user experience" digital offerings, starting with marie claire and Women's Health, across its digital network.

Unlike several licensed fashion titles, marie claire survived the 2020 industry cull intact: when Mercury Capital bought Bauer Media's Australian and New Zealand assets in June 2020, it closed the Australian editions of Elle, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, Men's Health, Women's Health, Good Health, NW and OK! — but marie claire, an Are Media-owned brand rather than a licensed one, continued publishing. Bauer Media Australia (including Pacific Magazines) had been acquired by Mercury in June 2020, and in late September 2020 the business was rebranded as Are Media, which has published marie claire since.

The 30th anniversary redesign

In March 2025 Are Media unveiled a modern redesign of marie claire's monthly print edition as the brand entered its 30th year in Australia. The March 2025 issue, featuring an exclusive cover shoot and interview with Hollywood actress Renée Zellweger, kicked off a year-long anniversary campaign of special events, a refreshed look across print and digital, and a bumper birthday issue planned for September.

The redesign was driven by the brand's global direction: editor Georgie McCourt described the aim as a more "moderate, modern, elevated and minimal" aesthetic, stripping back visual clutter to put greater focus on typography, striking imagery and immersive storytelling. "I felt the magazine was too busy in the design, so I wanted to strip it back and make it more minimal," McCourt said — while insisting that the magazine's in-depth journalism remain central: "We want the articles that you read in marie claire to be the type of pieces that you bring up in conversation with your friends and that change your perspective on the world."

The anniversary brought new editorial sections. "Worth It" became the playbook for effortless chic — high-end luxe fashion and accessories edited by the marie claire team — while embracing the high-low mix with affordable fashion pages placed upfront. "Curated By" moved beyond traditional recommendation lists into an upfront feature spanning emerging talents, transformative destinations and objects d'art. First-person beauty essays and an expanded focus on health, travel and lifestyle trends rounded out the refresh, alongside elevated digital executions and exclusive video content integrated across all platforms.

"marie claire has always been the thinking woman's brand, delivering an unrivalled mix of style and substance to our smart, affluent audience," McCourt said. "This new, reimagined edition is the first step in a whole new chapter for the brand. Our vision for marie claire is to continue to create a movement that celebrates creativity, diversity, and the extraordinary narratives of women across the nation." Are Media's general manager of luxury, Nicky Briger, said the title "stands tall as Australia's pre-eminent fashion publication over the past three decades."

A global brand, an Australian edition

The marie claire brand's scale underpins the Australian edition's positioning. Founded in France in 1937, the brand has expanded to more than 30 countries, a footprint Mediaweek describes as making it "a global leader in women's media." The Australian edition's 30th anniversary in 2025 therefore marked three decades of translating that global identity — Parisian fashion authority, international beauty coverage, a worldwide network of editions — into a magazine speaking to Australian women. McCourt has framed the redesign as aligning the local title with "where the brand is going globally," while keeping it true to its local mission of empowering women.

The editorial leadership has turned over in the Are Media era: industry reports identified Georgie Abay as editor in 2024, with Georgie McCourt — credited as the driver of the 30th-anniversary redesign — identified as editor in 2025. The publisher's luxury portfolio, overseen by general manager of luxury Nicky Briger, positions marie claire as its flagship fashion title alongside the relaunched Elle Australia.

Content and Features

The monthly magazine combines luxury fashion and accessories editorials with beauty coverage, health, travel and lifestyle features, and the long-form journalism that defines the brand's identity. The "Worth It" section curates high-end fashion; "Curated By" showcases the editorial team's selections across talent, travel and design; and first-person essays bring a personal voice to the beauty pages. The brand's editorial leadership in the Are Media era has included Georgie Abay and, as of 2025, Georgie McCourt as editor.

Coverage and Audience

marie claire Australia is distributed nationally through newsagents and premium retail, with print and digital editions sold through Are Media's subscription platforms including Magshop. Its audience is the affluent, fashion-engaged female readership the publisher describes as smart and culturally curious — readers the brand courts with a mix of style and substance rather than celebrity-driven content.

Ownership

marie claire Australia is owned and published by Are Media, the Sydney-based magazine company owned by the investment firm Mercury Capital. In July 2025 Mercury put Are Media up for sale, a process reported by industry press that would decide the next chapter of the publisher's ownership. Are Media was formed in September 2020 from the rebranded Bauer Media Australia, which had acquired Pacific Magazines, ACP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press assets during the 2010s. The magazine is based in Sydney, New South Wales.

Digital Presence

The brand's digital presence spans its website and social channels, with the 2025 redesign bringing elevated digital executions and exclusive video content integrated across all platforms. marie claire's digital editions are available through Are Media's e-commerce platform Magshop and magazine aggregation services such as Readly, and the brand maintains active social media channels promoting each month's issue and its luxury fashion content.