Plaid, an online style and culture magazine aimed at ‘prosumers’ – designers and fashion influencers – is making the move to print, but is taking a unique approach in doing so.

Plaidmag.com launched this past spring with an editorial direction meant, in part, to cater to fashion and beauty insiders who want to know the back story of designs and photo shoots, says Odessa Parker, editorial director and publisher of Plaid magazine. This September, the artsy photo shoots of Plaid (including some shot by renowned Canadian photogs Maxime Bocken and Mackenzie Duncan) will hit the printed page with an 85-page debut issue available on-demand to the mag’s 3,700 monthly readers, skewed female between 22 and 36 years old.

The issue, which charges $1,500 for a full-page ad, will cost $15 and be printed through MagCloud.com, an on-demand publishing site that allows creators of digital magazines to provide print versions for their readers. Parker says this will save costs on production and allow the magazine’s international readers (about 75% of readers are Canadian, the others from abroad) to have access to printed copies.

Plaid is was created to give readers a behind-the-scenes look at fashion and design, Parker explains.

‘We are trying to give the reader a sense of where the artist or designer is coming from and who is their inspiration. I want to know a bit more about the designer and their personality and what goes on behind the clothing,’ she says, on what sets the magazine apart from other fashion-oriented publications, adding that it is inspired by street-style blogs rather than haute couture runways.

‘You’re not going to see a top-to-toe look by one designer – you’re going to see vintage accessories and low-end pieces and higher-end pieces. It’s really about the mix,’ says Parker, of their content.

The magazine will be promoted at fashion events in Toronto and online.