by SHANGHAI— Changes are on the horizon in the fashion publishing business in China.
Condé Nast on Wednesday denied speculation that Vogue China editorial director Margaret Zhang will leave the publication after her contract expires next March.
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A recent listing on Chinese recruiting platform Liepin, which quickly began circulating on social media platform Xiaohongshu, showed that Vogue China is hiring a deputy editor.
The position’s responsibilities include “helping the editor-in-chief supervise the editorial team,” supporting marketing and sales initiatives, and overseeing special brand projects.
“As Deputy Editor of Vogue China, you will be the driving force behind the magazine’s featured content, working closely with a talented team of journalists and editors,” the job description wrote.
“In this critical role within our senior leadership team, you will not only shape the voice and tone of our roles, but you will also play a crucial role in advancing Vogue’s global cultural initiatives,” the post continues.
The deputy editor position at Vogue China, which essentially oversees the magazine’s day-to-day operations, is no different from the role of head of editorial content, which has been assigned to the heads of all other directly operated international editions of Vogue. under the singular vision of Anna Wintour, global content director at Condé Nast and editor-in-chief of Vogue.
Wintour has solidified her dominance over the company’s publishing operations in recent years. Most recently, Chioma Nnadi was named head of editorial content at British Vogue, taking over responsibilities from current editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who will take on the new role of global creative and cultural advisor at Vogue and also become editorial advisor at British Vogue. Fashion.
Vogue China is the latest international Vogue edition operated directly by Condé Nast to have an editor-in-chief title in addition to Wintour herself. However, at the top of the title, the Australian-Chinese Zhang is listed as editorial director. In China, the role of editor-in-chief of Vogue China is reserved by law to the magazine’s local editorial partner, China Pictorial.
According to multiple industry sources, Zhang’s contract will expire next spring.
Zhang’s tenure at Vogue China has been controversial. Huasheng Media founder Chuxuan Feng publicly criticized her on Weibo for being disrespectful to the Chinese market, and her business skills have been questioned on social media as several unsponsored covers were made under her supervision.
According to industry experts, a Vogue China cover, while not theoretically for sale, can fetch at least 3 million renminbi, or $428,000, in sponsorship from major luxury brands. No one paying for a cover is extremely rare in the highly commercialized business of Chinese fashion magazines.
In a statement to WWD, Condé Nast confirmed the hiring of a deputy editor, who will report to Zhang, and said the move “underscores the company’s commitment to the title and to Zhang.”
That said, Condé Nast could not confirm whether the deputy editor would later become head of editorial content at Vogue China, a move that has occurred at all other directly operated international editions.
In addition to the hiring plan, Vogue China is preparing for the inaugural China edition of the Vogue Forces of Fashion conference. Wintour is visiting the country for the first time in more than 10 years and will be in Shanghai on Thursday to host the event.
The event’s line-up includes executives and designers from brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Salvatore Ferragamo, Courrèges, Jason Wu and Proenza Schouler.
Vogue China is not the only publication that made people talk this week. On Wednesday, Hearst Magazines announced that it had terminated its licensing agreement for Cosmopolitan and Esquire in China, effective immediately.
In a statement to WWD, the former media company said: “We are currently discussing the relaunch of these brands with stakeholders in this important market.”
The Chinese edition of Esquire was founded in 1996, under a licensing agreement with Trends Group, a Beijing-based media company that began in 1993 as Trends Magazine, the first local fashion publication founded by two former travel reporters, Liu Jiang and Wu Hong.
In 1998, Trends signed a licensing agreement for Cosmopolitan to release the title in China, where media titles can only be operated by Chinese companies.
In China, foreign titles must obtain a publishing permit to legally publish content in China. Both Esquire and Cosmopolitan permits are issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
In addition to the partnership with Trends Group, Hearst Magazines China was formed in 2011 following the acquisition of Hachette China. The Shanghai-based company operates titles such as Elle China, Super Elle, Elle Men and Elle Décor.
In 1997, Trends Group created advertising company Beijing Shi Zhi Shang Advertising Co. to manage the commercial side of the magazine business, with Trends Group, Beijing Meng Si Tong Consulting Service Ltd., Hearst and IDG as major shareholders.
According to Chinese corporate data provider Tianyancha, Hearst owns a 20 percent stake in Shi Zhi Shang.
In the 2010s, Trends Group grew to become one of China’s largest fashion publications with 17 titles, including Harper’s Bazaar and Men’s Health, under its belt, according to local media reports at the time.
After Liu’s sudden death in 2019, shareholders fought for control of the media empire. In 2022, Trends Magazines Co. Ltd, a business entity that owns five titles including Cosmopolitan and Esquire, declared its independence as a “wholly state-owned enterprise” and withdrew Shi Zhi Shang’s advertising rights.
In an internal letter that Trends Magazines distributed to employees, which was widely circulated online, Shi Zhi Shang is accused of “failing to pay a substantial amount of advertising revenue to Trends Magazines for many years.”
Shortly afterward, Shi Zhi Shang counterattacked with a public announcement that the company still had exclusive advertising rights to Cosmopolitan and Esquire.
But in a notice issued by Shi Zhi Shang on Wednesday it was revealed that the company stopped operating the “core brand business” of Cosmopolitan and Esquire in July 2022.
According to industry sources, Shi Zhi Shang still owns the licensing rights to magazines such as V Magazine, which launched its Chinese edition in March, and Harper’s Bazaar, which launched its Chinese edition in 2001.
At press time, members of Cosmopolitan and Esquire’s editorial teams confirmed to WWD that the high-level changes have not yet affected daily operations.
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