LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--British-born renowned photographer and publisher, Steve Shaw, is proud to present the Premiere Issue of treats! magazine (treatsmagazine.com), a European-inspired multimedia platform that merges high fashion, sensuality and the ultimate in lifestyle luxury publishing. The publication’s launch was celebrated by 125 VIP guests, including A-list celebrities and Oscar nominees, at one of Hollywood’s most exclusive pre-Oscar parties—in the private setting of the James Goldstein Residence, a John Lautner architectural gem—on Thursday, February 24, 2011, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Shaw says, “I was inspired to create a never-before-seen publication in the U.S—aimed at a sophisticated and creative unisex audience—that artistically captures and celebrates the beauty of women as nature made them, without the demeaning harshness of how other mainstream outlets have portrayed them.”
Guests were treated to music by DJ Zen Freeman while provocative images from the Premiere Issue flashed across the flat screen tvs. VIP attendees included Oscar nominees Kevin Spacey, Dana Brunetti (producers, “The Social Network”), actor Jason Statham & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Donna Karan, Lawrence Bender, Olivier Martinez, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Anthony Kiedis, Aaron Paul, Estella Warren, Mini Anden, and photographer/director Ellen von Unwerth, to name just a few. Cuvée d'Or 24 karat gold-infused champagne from St. Tropez hosted a beautiful bar, and Chocolates by Patchi was also a sponsor.
Coined as “Uncovered Luxury,” treats! is a quarterly high quality print and digital publication, created in the spirit of a fine art book that provides a new venue for the world’s best photographers and writers to exhibit their artistry while paying homage to the female form. Available at select newsstands and by subscription, treats! is available electronically via leading digital publisher Zinio.
In a recent Fashionising.com article, writer Daniel P. Dykes identifies a trend in fashion that treats! aptly illustrates: “…at the tail end of 2010, that is precisely where the role of nudity within fashion, be it in photo shoots or in advertising, stands: it is evolving. We, the consumers, have evolving tastes. We're looking to consume fashion with meaning, photo shoots that drive the imagination. And where nudity is involved, that means erotica, sexuality, sensuality and emotion. Less and less are we being engaged by raw nudity simply for the sake of it.”
To celebrate the inaugural issue, Shaw made the unprecedented move of creating an advertisement-free volume. He adds, “The Premiere Issue of treats! is an ad-free collector’s edition—just gorgeous mesmerizing images.”
The treats! Premiere Issue cover image is an edgy, scintillating and elegant shot of two nude models (Cassy G and Irene Lambers), shot by acclaimed photographer Tony Duran. Other photographers shooting top models in this issue include Deborah Anderson, Gavin Bond, David Bellamere, Shaw and Ben Watts.
British model Rosie Huntington-Whitley, best known for her work for Victoria’s Secret and for replacing Megan Fox as Sam's new love interest in the upcoming “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” will be featured on the May cover of treats!
Editor Rob Hill, formerly editor of Hollywood Life magazine, has enlisted a stable of talented writers to share stimulating editorial, such as this issue’s features on: sensational actor Jason Statham; American contemporary artist Shepard Fairey by Harvey Kubernik; and a feature exposé on Hollywood’s party history, by Kirk Silsbee.
Shaw adds, “Sexuality has become more embraced in fashion and advertising, but it’s a fine line between sensual, spontaneous and artistic versus manufactured, parochial and pandering. The way something is photographed is that line, and treats! represents the side that offers a tasteful high-end venue that can be left on the coffee table with pride. It is a fine art book that is also a collector’s item.”
treats! is the quintessential multimedia platform that is demanded from today’s world. Beyond the quarterly over-sized print edition, which is printed on 70 lb. matte stock, treats! also offers its content via Zinio for iPad and as a phone app, as well as the treats! website, blog, documentary video productions and social networking sites. treats! features limited advertising, and rather, focuses on special marketing possibilities via events in the most exclusive locations—from LA, New York, London and beyond—which allow for incredible partnership opportunities with handpicked sponsors. The treats! audience is international, elite, affluent, influential, discerning, successful, imaginative, creative and has an appreciation for opulence.
Distribution is starting with limited edition print runs of just 5,000 hard copies of the publication per quarter, available at select newsstands and by subscription ($20.00 US per copy or $65.00 per yearly subscription). Digitally, treats! is available via leading electronic newsstand Zinio ($15.00 US per download), which features 20 million members.
For more information, please visit treatsmagazine.com.
About treats!
In 2011, after working many years as a photographer and identifying a gap in the publishing world, British-born Steve Shaw conceived and launched treats! magazine as a European-inspired multimedia platform that merges high fashion, sensuality and the ultimate in lifestyle luxury publishing. Designed to give the world’s best photographers a media space that allows freedom to be inspired by subjects and have this artwork published without restriction, treats! showcases talent that would otherwise not be seen unless published in a fine art book. Aimed at a global upscale unisex audience, the publication artistically captures and celebrates the beauty of women as nature made them. With limited traditional advertising, the publication features unique marketing and sponsorship opportunities, scintillating editorial, as well as cutting-edge content, accessibility and visibility via leading digital distributor, Zinio.