Grazia signs exclusive sponsorship deal with Blackberry

Grazia magazine, Bauer Media's weekly glossy for upscale women, has announced an exclusive partnership with BlackBerry, which sees BlackBerry sponsor Grazia's third annual fashion talent search, Fashfactor 2013.

Intended to confirm Grazia's reputation for being bold, brave and innovative, and being at the centre of the fashion world, the search will see fashion students, budding designers, milliners, shoe designers and jewellers showcase their designs before a judging panel of Grazia senior editors, fashion designers and industry experts and buyers. Entries will be judged in two womenswear categories, clothing and accessories, with the winning designs photographed and featured in Grazia magazine.

The partnership also invites Grazia readers to design a case for the new BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone, positioning the device as a helping hand to the busy lives of Grazia readers, and showcasing BlackBerry® Hub, as well as the camera and video features. The winning design will be revealed in a July edition of Grazia magazine as well as online. Fashfactor will have its own microsite and tab on graziadaily.co.uk with bespoke BlackBerry branding and it will also run as an integrated campaign throughout the magazine and via social media.

The partnership follows the launch of the new Grazia mobile app exclusively on the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone earlier this month. It is free for a limited period until June 2nd, after when it will cost £1.99 via a weekly subscription. The app is a further development of the "shop the magazine" iPad app, allowing readers to shop straight from the page or pick out items to share, all on the go. This continues the innovative development of the Grazia brand across multiple platforms to deliver the "Who, What, Wear" everywhere.

Abby Carvosso, Managing Director Lifestyle & Advertising, Bauer Media, said: "Fashfactor epitomises the influence of the Grazia brand and we are thrilled to be supporting young and emerging talent in the fashion industry. Grazia is bold, brave and innovative and the Fashfactor partnership with BlackBerry is a great example of how likeminded brands can work together to develop deeper engagement with our audiences".

Quentin Scott, Director, Channel Marketing UK at BlackBerry, commented: "Enabling people to achieve and define their version of success goes to the heart of our brand, which makes the partnership with the Grazia Fashfactor the perfect fit for us. We're looking forward to seeing how the award-winning design of the BlackBerry Z10 inspires readers to create eye-catching new cases for our brand new platform".