Today (September 17), we’re thrilled to announce that Dazed Middle East and North Africa (MENA) will be launching in winter 2024.
Dazed Media has signed an agreement with ITP Media Group, the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa region, to create Dazed MENA. The new publication will be the first ever magazine to focus on youth culture, fashion, style and culture in the Middle East.
Dazed MENA will comprise a website, social channels, quarterly print magazine, limited edition product collaborations and an annual events programme that will take place in key cities across the region’s 22 countries.
Dazed MENA will be led by a team of creative talent from across the region, handpicked by the magazine’s new editor-in-chief Ahmad Swaid. Swaid is a Lebanese Sierra Leonean editor whose work has been widely recognised for discovering new voices, platforming social issues and spotlighting vital topics from across the MENA region. Swaid was previously editor-in-chief at GQ Middle East; prior to this, he worked for Dazed Media between 2016 and 2022.
“Dazed was the place that empowered me for over five years, it is where I rose through the ranks and to be at the helm of its arrival in the region I am from and I grew up in feels full circle,” Swaid said in a statement. “It is an honour and a dream come true. Empowering talent is at the heart of what Dazed MENA is […] together we are creating a collective vision that champions youth and creativity across the region, diaspora and to create a cultural exchange on a global scale.”
Marne Schwartz, managing director of ITP Media Group added: “Ahmad’s success over the past two years in creating visibility, optimism and relevance for Gen Z audiences has culminated in this new appointment […] Launching Dazed MENA is a significant moment for us; the youth culture in the region are demanding transparency, trust and credibility, and Ahmad at the helm will ensure we continue to transform the media landscape in the region and be that source.”
Other key appointments include Omaima Salem, a Paris-based French Egyptian stylist, as fashion director; Mohamed Al Kindi (AKA “Chndy”), a multidisciplinary artist from Oman, as creative director; Sarra Alayyan, a Palestinian-Jordanian writer, editor and researcher, as deputy editor; and Fady Nageeb, an Egyptian journalist, as content director.
“Launching Dazed MENA is a landmark moment for us and a significant step in Dazed’s global expansion strategy and digital transformation,” says Jefferson Hack, CEO and founder of Dazed Media. “A quarter of the region’s population is made up of young people. Dazed MENA will no doubt become a major platform for millions of undiscovered voices and ideas – supporting the next generation through the stories we’ll tell and partnerships we’ll create.”
Ib Kamara, editor-in-chief of Dazed added: “I’m excited about this new chapter in Dazed’s journey. The MENA territory is so important to us, and is now influencing global youth culture more than ever before. I know that the new title will showcase amazing talent and will give so many people a trusted platform to express themselves that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
The digital and its social channels will launch in late September, with the magazine’s first print issue launching in winter 2024.
