Shanghai — Change is in sight for fashion publishing in China.
Condé Nast on Wednesday quashed speculation about whether Vogue China editor-in-chief Margaret Zhang will leave the publication after her contract expires in March next year.
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A recent mention on Chinese recruitment platform Liepin, which quickly began circulating on social media platform Xiaohongshu, revealed that Vogue China is hiring a deputy editor-in-chief.
Responsibilities of this position include “assisting the Editor-in-Chief in overseeing the editorial team,” supporting marketing and sales initiatives, and overseeing special branding projects.
“As deputy editor-in-chief at Vogue China, you will be the driving force behind the magazine’s content, working closely with a talented team of journalists and editors,” the job description says.
“In this critical role within our senior leadership team, you will not only shape the voice and tone of our articles, but you will also play a critical role in advancing Vogue’s global cultural initiatives,” the post continued.
The position of deputy editor at Vogue China, which essentially oversees the magazine’s day-to-day operations, is not much different from the role of head of editorial content, which has been given to the heads of all of Vogue’s other directly managed international editions. under the unique vision of Anna Wintour, Global Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue.
Wintour has strengthened its dominance over the company’s editorial operations in recent years. Most recently, Chioma Nnadi was appointed head of editorial content at British Vogue, taking over the responsibilities of current editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who will take on the new role of global creative and cultural advisor at Vogue and will also become editorial advisor at British Vogue. Fashion.
Vogue China is the last remaining international Vogue edition to be managed directly under Condé Nast and to have an editor-in-chief in addition to Wintour himself. However, the masthead of the title lists Australian-Chinese Zhang as editor-in-chief. In China, the role of editor-in-chief of Vogue China is reserved by law to the magazine’s local publisher, China Pictorial.
According to multiple industry sources, Zhang’s contract expires next spring.
Zhang’s tenure at Vogue China has been controversial. She was publicly outed by Huasheng Media founder Chuxuan Feng on Weibo for being disrespectful to the Chinese market, and her business skills have been questioned on social media as several covers under her watch were not sponsored.
According to industry insiders, even though a Vogue China cover is not for sale in theory, it can generate at least 3 million renminbi, or $428,000, in sponsorship from top luxury brands. The fact that no one pays for a cover is extremely unusual in the highly commercialized Chinese fashion magazine world.
In a statement to WWD, Condé Nast confirmed the appointment of a deputy editor, who will report to Zhang, and said the move “underlines the company’s commitment to the title and to Zhang.”
That said, Condé Nast could not confirm whether the deputy editor would go on to become head of editorial content at Vogue China, a move that has happened at all other directly managed international editions.
In addition to the recruitment plan, Vogue China is preparing for the first Chinese edition of the Vogue Forces of Fashion conference. Wintour is visiting the country for the first time in more than a decade and will be in Shanghai on Thursday to host the event.
The line-up for the event includes executives and designers from brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Salvatore Ferragamo, Courrèges, Jason Wu and Proenza Schouler.
Vogue China isn’t the only publication that got people talking this week. On Wednesday, Hearst Magazines announced it has terminated its licensing agreement for Cosmopolitan and Esquire in China, effective immediately.
In a statement to WWD, the legacy media company said: “We are currently discussing the relaunch of these brands with interested parties 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 started 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 deal for Cosmopolitan to launch the title in China, where media titles are only allowed to be operated by Chinese companies.
In China, foreign titles must obtain a publishing permit to legally publish content in China. The licenses of both Esquire and Cosmopolitan are issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
In addition to the partnership with Trends Group, Hearst Magazines China was founded 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 founded the advertising agency Beijing Shi Zhi Shang Advertising Co. to manage the commercial side of the magazine industry, with Trends Group, Beijing Meng Si Tong Consulting Service Ltd., Hearst and IDG as major shareholders.
According to Chinese corporate data provider Tianyancha, Hearst has a 20 percent stake in Shi Zhi Shang.
In the 2010s, Trends Group grew into one of the largest fashion publications in China with 17 titles – including Harper’s Bazaar and Men’s Health – to its name, according to local media reports at the time.
After Liu’s sudden death in 2019, shareholders struggled for control of the media empire. In 2022, Trends Magazines Co. declared. Ltd, a business entity that owns five titles including Cosmopolitan and Esquire, declared its independence as a “wholly state-owned company” and revoked Shi Zhi Shang’s advertising rights.
In an internal letter that Trends Magazines distributed to employees and was widely circulated online, Shi Zhi Shang is accused of “failing to pay a substantial portion of advertising revenue to Trends Magazines for years.”
Shortly afterwards, Shi Zhi Shang hit back with a public announcement stating that the company still held exclusive advertising rights to Cosmopolitan and Esquire.
But in a post from Shi Zhi Shang on Wednesday, it was revealed that the company would stop operating the “key brand businesses” 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 the time of publication, members of the editorial teams at both Cosmopolitan and Esquire confirmed to WWD that the high-level changes are not yet impacting day-to-day operations.
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