As Saudi Arabia leaps forward into a bold new creative future, Esquire GCC’s Editor-in-Chief, Matthew Baxter-Priest, dedicates the first issue of the magazine to the trailblazers fearlessly shaping the Kingdom’s growing cultural scene…
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There are milestones in history that everyone remembers. The launch of the original iPhone, Concorde’s first trans-Atlantic flight, cinemas being opened across Saudi Arabia. Personal landmarks too—the birth of a child, your first car, your first ‘good’ car, that Fuad Amin goal for Saudi against The Netherlands in World Cup 1994.
April 25, 2016, marked one such milestone—when Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced Vision 2030. A bold yet achievable blueprint for an ambitious nation, it set out long-term goals and expectations built upon the country’s unique strengths and capabilities.
The future city of NEOM is the spectacular location for Esquire Saudi’s cover shoot
It guides aspirations towards a new phase of development—to create a vibrant society in which all citizens can fulfill their dreams, hopes and ambitions to succeed in a thriving economy. The announcement paved the way for a future of endless possibility, a nation waking up to an unbridled potential, and one in which creativity is set to flow.
Due to Vision 2030 the launch of Esquire Saudi —the first international men’s magazine to be published in the country—has been made possible.
A practical and authoritative guide to help men make smarter life choices, it brings with it the style and substance that has defined its success across the globe for more than 80 years, from the US to China, the UK to the GCC, and now Saudi Arabia.
With a new edition dedicated to the Kingdom we are humbled and honoured to be able to help tell its stories and champion its people. It is an honour to be able to play a part in such a historic moment—not just for Esquire, but for culture in Saudi and beyond. With your help, we promise to tell the stories from the inside out; to raise voices that need to be heard; to celebrate talent that needs to be seen; and to support changes that need to occur.
At Esquire we speak to those who are accomplished, but remain ambitious; for those who want their content to be sharp, witty, intelligent and relevant; and for those who want to work together to make sense of this new world and change it for the better. Because right now the future is all of all of ours, and together we can reach some pretty remarkable milestones.
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Originally published in Esquire Saudi, March 2021.
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