Stuff acquires Ensemble

AUCKLAND, Monday: Stuff has extended its life & style offering with the acquisition of online fashion and beauty destination Ensemble, and a redesigned Life & Style section.

Ensemble will become part of Stuff’s portfolio of online platforms and print titles, and co-founders Zoe Walker Ahwa and Rebecca Wadey will be welcomed to the Stuff team.

“Life & style is a key category for us and one that we are growing and investing in,” says Stuff ceo Sinead Boucher.

“The recent redesign of the Life and Sunday newspaper magazines was just the beginning. In addition to announcing the acquisition of Ensemble today we are proud to unveil the new section on Stuff, which elevates the whole reader experience and provides even more compelling opportunities for advertisers.”

Prior to creating Ensemble, Walker Ahwa was the editor-in-chief of Fashion Quarterly and Simply You. She previously worked as associate editor of Viva and deputy editor of Next.

Wadey has 20 years’ experience in fashion, wellness and beauty, having worked with Kate Sylvester, Metro magazine, Viva, Esteé Lauder and Bobbi Brown.

“We’re delighted to bring Ensemble into the Stuff universe,” says Boucher.

“The closure of Bauer last year was a real blow to the media industry, but we’ve seen great innovation spring out of what was a very sad situation.”

“The closure of Bauer last year was a real blow to the media industry, but we’ve seen great innovation spring out of what was a very sad situation.

“Ensemble is fresh and modern. We love the mix of culture, style and women-led content and can see real potential in growing the website’s audience.”

Walker Ahwa and Wadey say they are thrilled to secure a sustainable future for the Ensemble.

Walker Ahwa said: “We launched Ensemble almost exactly a year ago in August 2020, with an aim to challenge traditional women’s lifestyle media tropes. We believe we can use genuine inclusivity and our natural curiosity to question and celebrate women’s issues in a way that embraces and empowers them.”

Wadey said: “We have been open about how tough it is for independent media. This partnership with Stuff will see Ensemble become a financially viable business.”

In addition to continuing to run Ensemble, Walker Ahwa will become Stuff’s style editor across the organisation’s life & style media. Both Walker Ahwa and Wadey will be working across Stuff itself and print titles including Life, Sunday and Your Weekend magazines.