Started in 2005 as a women’s fashion magazine by editor in chief Mark Keast and a partner Lush took some time off in the winter of 2008 before using the recent LG Fashion Week to re-launch.
 
Originally the quarterly magazine, which focuses on high fashion, lifestyle, arts and culture was self-published on the nights and weekends, says Keast but they are now under Toronto-based Bassett Media Group. Under the new company they have brought back original art director Paul Sych but aside from that it is an all new ediorial team. “One of the special focuses is the relationship we have with the Fashion Design Council of Canada ,” says Keast. “We thought it was a good idea to refresh the brand for Fashion Week and distribute copies at the shows.”
 
Lush is distributed on newsstands across the country including Chapters and the Great Canadian News Company through Disticor. Though 80 percent of the magazine’s circulation of 100,000 is distributed in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as an insert in the Globe and Mail. “Our focus going forward is to grow the paid circulation model via newsstand and subscribers,” says Keast.

The perfect-bound glossy has a good buzz around it, says Keast. “It gives Canadian designers a nice platform to display their work,” he says. “It is a European style magazine done by Canadians for Canadians.”

The winter issue will have approximately 100 pages with about 30 per cent advertising, says Keast. Many of the advertisers for the fall re-launch were fashion week sponsors and he says that is the market they would like to stay in moving forward. “We are starting to build a lot of good relationships with fashion and luxury brands,” he says. “That is our focus.”