Sober
Sober is a privately held Istanbul-based print magazine and fashion brand, publishing biannual issues covering fashion, art, and culture, and selling branded apparel and co-branded collaborations through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersIstanbul, Türkiye
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sober does
Sober (legal entity: SOBER MEDYA VE YAPIM HİZ. A.Ş.) is a privately held Turkish media and fashion brand founded in 2023 and based in Istanbul. The company publishes a biannual print magazine — five issues to date (No.1 'Boy or Girl?' through No.5 'Burnout') — covering fashion, art, photography, science, urban life, and human relationships. Each issue features extensive editorial content including celebrity profiles, fashion shoots, and cultural commentary; Issue No.5 alone contains 384 pages covering 12 celebrities, 22 creatives, and 15 rising talents.
The company's primary product lines are: (1) print magazine sales at 980–1,680 TL per issue; (2) branded apparel and accessories (caps, bags, bucket hats, fisherman pants, gym socks, tanks) priced between roughly 240 and 16,680 TL; and (3) co-branded collaboration products with global brands. Sober has executed 17+ major brand collaborations spanning automotive (Toyota), consumer technology (Dyson), footwear/sportswear (Adidas, Converse), beauty (Maybelline, Bobbi Brown, Bioderma, Panti, Pantene), retail (Marks & Spencer), luxury fashion (Jean Paul Gaultier), and beverages (%100/Tuborg), with the %100 line functioning as an ongoing active product line sold DTC.
Go-to-market is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model via soberdigital.ist, with Instagram as the primary discovery and brand-awareness channel. There are no physical retail stores, no third-party distributors or marketplace listings, and shipping is not explicitly disclosed outside Turkey. The company has 16 employees and an 11-person named editorial team led by Editor in Chief Bağlan Keskin. Revenue, funding, and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed. The technology stack is standard e-commerce infrastructure (Next.js storefront, Cloudflare CDN, Firebase Storage for assets) with no proprietary platform or AI/ML capabilities described.
Sober firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sober
- Legal name
- SOBER MEDYA VE YAPIM HİZ. A.Ş.
- Website
- https://soberdigital.ist
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sober is a privately held Istanbul-based print magazine and fashion brand, publishing biannual issues covering fashion, art, and culture, and selling branded apparel and co-branded collaborations through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sober industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fashion & Lifestyle Publishing (Print Magazine and Branded Apparel)
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459), All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (459999)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)
Keywords
Where Sober is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Istanbul
- HQ country
- Türkiye
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sober business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Print Magazine Sales: Sale of biannual printed magazines covering fashion, art, photography, science, urban life, and human relations. Issue No.5 'Burnout' priced at 1680₺, Issue No.4 'Tourist' at 1480₺.
- Fashion and Accessories Sales: Sale of clothing items, bags, caps, and accessories through their e-commerce store. Products include D-Bag (7700₺), All In One V3 (16680₺), Beach Bag (3900₺), Fisherman Pants (2850₺), Sober Cap (1500₺), Bucket Hat (2100₺), and various apparel.
- Brand Collaborations: Collaborative products with major brands including Toyota, Dyson, Bioderma, Converse, Maybelline, M&S, TWIST, Bobbi Brown, Penti, Signal, XSIDE, Adidas, Jean Paul Gaultier, and others. Products include clothing and accessories sold through the Sober platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Issue No.5 'Burnout' magazine |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fashion and accessory items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Collaboration products with %100 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Sober product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sober publishes a biannual print magazine (five issues since 2023) covering fashion, art, photography, science, urban life, and human relationships, and sells branded clothing, bags, caps, and accessories through its own e-commerce store. It also produces co-branded collaboration products with international brands such as Toyota, Dyson, Converse, Adidas, and Jean Paul Gaultier. All merchandise is sold direct-to-consumer via soberdigital.ist, with no third-party retail or marketplace listings.
Product overview
Sober Digital is a sophisticated biannual print magazine and fashion/lifestyle brand based in Istanbul, Turkey. The company operates as a unified platform offering print magazines (Issues No.1-5), proprietary clothing and accessories (including All In One garments, caps, bags, and gym wear), and brand collaborations with major names like Toyota, Dyson, Jean Paul Gaultier, Converse, and Adidas. The portfolio consists of core print magazine products supplemented by fashion merchandise and branded collaboration collections, all sold through their e-commerce platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Issue No.5 'Burnout' Print Magazine Biannual print magazine issue (384 pages, 23x30 cm) covering fashion, art, photography, science, urban life, and human relationships; themed 'Burnout' and sold at 1680₺ per copy to individual consumers in Turkey.
- Issue No.4 'Tourist' Print Magazine Biannual print magazine issue themed 'Tourist', sold at 1480₺ per copy to individual consumers.
- Issue No.3 'Love Hate Love' Print Magazine Biannual print magazine issue themed 'Love Hate Love', sold to individual consumers.
- Issue No.2 'Art or Not?' Print Magazine Biannual print magazine issue themed 'Art or Not?', sold at 980₺ per copy to individual consumers.
- Issue No.1 'Boy or Girl?' Print Magazine Sober's debut print magazine issue, themed 'Boy or Girl?', sold to individual consumers.
- Sober Apparel and Accessories Line
Companies that use Sober
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sober technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Sober partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- ToyotamajorAutomotive brand collaboration with Sober, featuring editorial content promoting Toyota products through Sober's fashion and lifestyle platform.
- DysonmajorPremium technology brand Dyson collaborated with Sober on editorial content featuring their products in a fashion/lifestyle context.
- BiodermaminorSkincare brand Bioderma partnership with Sober featuring product editorial content.
- ConversemajorIconic footwear and apparel brand Converse collaborated with Sober on editorial and potentially co-branded products.
- MaybellineminorBeauty brand Maybelline partnered with Sober for editorial content featuring makeup and beauty products.
- Marks & Spencer (M&S)minorBritish retailer Marks & Spencer collaboration with Sober on editorial content and potentially co-branded products.
- TWISTminorTWIST brand partnership with Sober featuring editorial content.
- Bobbi BrownminorProfessional makeup brand Bobbi Brown collaborated with Sober on editorial beauty content.
- NETWORKminorFashion brand NETWORK partnership with Sober featuring editorial content.
- PentiminorTurkish intimate apparel brand Penti collaborated with Sober on editorial content.
- SignalminorPersonal care brand Signal partnership with Sober featuring oral care products in editorial context.
- XSIDEminorFashion brand XSIDE collaboration with Sober on editorial content.
- AdidasmajorGlobal sportswear giant Adidas collaborated with Sober on editorial content and potentially co-branded products.
- Jean Paul GaultiermajorLuxury fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier featured in Sober editorial content celebrating the new era of Le Male fragrance with the message 'In the new age of Le Male, the rules change.'
- PanteneminorHair care brand Pantene partnership with Sober featuring editorial content.
- %100 (Tuborg)majorSober x %100 collaboration featuring All In One (8200₺), Tee (1700₺), Baby Tee (1400₺), Short (1350₺), Tote Bag (2750₺), and Gym Socks (500₺). Active product line sold through Sober's e-commerce.
- ClubminorBrand collaboration with Sober featuring editorial content.
- LiptonminorTea brand Lipton partnership with Sober featuring editorial content.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sober competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cereal Magazine: Quarterly independent print magazine focused on fashion, travel, and culture, with an associated online shop. Directly comparable to Sober's biannual print + DTC lifestyle brand model.
- The Gentlewoman: Biannual independent print fashion and culture magazine known for high-quality editorial and brand collaborations. Strong comparable to Sober's biannual cadence and fashion/lifestyle focus.
- Kinfolk Magazine: Independent premium print lifestyle and culture magazine with a strong design-led identity and lifestyle merchandise. Comparable to Sober as a boutique publishing brand blending editorial content with curated DTC products.
- Dazed Media: Independent fashion and culture media brand combining print magazine, digital editorial, and youth culture focus. Operates in the same premium independent fashion publishing category as Sober.
Emerging players
- Hypebeast: Digital-first fashion, culture, and streetwear media platform with commerce arm (HBX). Comparable to Sober as a fashion media brand monetizing through brand partnerships and DTC, but with much larger digital scale.
- Highsnobiety: Digital fashion and culture media platform with editorial, brand collaboration, and DTC commerce arms. Comparable to Sober's hybrid media-plus-merchandise model, though more digitally native.
Broad incumbents
- i-D Magazine (Vice): Iconic fashion and culture publication with print heritage and large digital audience. A broader incumbent in the same premium fashion editorial space, though with significantly larger scale.
- Vogue Türkiye (Condé Nast): Established premium fashion magazine in Turkey under Condé Nast. A broader incumbent competing for the same Turkish fashion/culture audience as Sober, with the advantage of global brand resources.
Regional players
- L'Officiel Türkiye: Turkish edition of L'Officiel, an international premium fashion magazine. Comparable to Sober as a Turkish fashion editorial brand, though with the backing of a global publishing network.
- Numéro Türkiye: Turkish edition of Numéro, a French premium fashion magazine. Operates in the same Turkish premium fashion editorial category as Sober, with established brand-collaboration economics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sober social profiles
Digital presenceSober financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sober leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Sober funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sober M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sober
What does Sober do?
Sober publishes a biannual print magazine (five issues since 2023) covering fashion, art, photography, science, urban life, and human relationships, and sells branded clothing, bags, caps, and accessories through its own e-commerce store. It also produces co-branded collaboration products with international brands such as Toyota, Dyson, Converse, Adidas, and Jean Paul Gaultier. All merchandise is sold direct-to-consumer via soberdigital.ist, with no third-party retail or marketplace listings.
When was Sober founded?
Sober was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sober based?
Sober is headquartered in Istanbul, Türkiye, in the Europe region.
How does Sober make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print Magazine Sales are the primary driver. The others are fashion and Accessories Sales and brand Collaborations.
Who are Sober's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cereal Magazine, The Gentlewoman, Kinfolk Magazine and Dazed Media. Emerging players are Hypebeast and Highsnobiety. Broad incumbents are i-D Magazine (Vice) and Vogue Türkiye (Condé Nast). Regional players are L'Officiel Türkiye and Numéro Türkiye.
Does Sober have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sober.
What industry is Sober in?
Sober's product category is Fashion & Lifestyle Publishing (Print Magazine and Branded Apparel). Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAA, Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines. Its NAICS code is 459 and its SIC code is 2731.