CLEO Magazine has released its very last issue onto the shelves, bringing an end to a 44-year-old era. And for the final cover, the brand thought it fitting to throw back to its original launch edit, style and everything.
Jesinta Campbell was pinned as the final covergirl, after appearing on the front of Cosmopolitan’s most recent issue, with a very retro look to the photoshoot.
“I actually had tears in my eyes,” Campbell said of the privilege on The Today Show, speaking with host and former Cleo editor Lisa Wilkinson. “It was the very first fashion magazine that I got to be on the cover of.
“I remember reading articles and feeling empowered myself, so I can’t imagine what those articles did for women 44 years ago, so Cleo is one of the reasons both of us are here today as strong women on television, talking, doing our thing and being independent and kicking goals.”
Cleo posted a picture of the final cover on Instagram, farewelling “44 years of sass, bachelors, sex and centrefolds”.
Editor Lucy Cousins said of the final cover, “It’s an ode to the 44 years. We didn’t want to go out with a cover that didn’t really say anything, we wanted to pay tribute to that first one.”
Bauer Media made the decision to close Cleo last month, with the final issue on stands Monday February 22.