Tag: media news

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Fashion Feature

Hadid,,Again and Again

According to the fashion magazines, the word is always curious to see the latest midriff worn by a Hadid. Want to learn about Hailey Bieber’s skin care routine, for the 120th time, check out the latest issue of,,,. There was a time when publications were sources of inspiration and knowledge, along with the glossy images.

As readers moved from pages to digital platforms, magazines have lost their place at the head of the cultural table, no longer having a manicured nail on the pulse of style. Influencers, YouTube commentators and TikTok celebrities set the agenda in the never-ending world of original content. Vogue, along with its rivals, feel stale.

Forgive me for being lost, why do the fashion magazines continue to reproduce the same stories on social media and on the newsstand? Pivoting got lost in translation perhaps because of press relations, contacts, sticking to what they know could be the answer, despite dwindling sales and relevance.

The world is facing a war, inflation crisis, climate change and political uncertainty to name a few, yet, the fashion magazines seem lost in a maze of recycled satiny. Can anyone save these peaches and cream pages? Do they want to be saved is becoming the question. Fewer and fewer readers in the world will always be updated on Hadid’s six-pack.

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Fashion

Fashion Lowdown Preview

Today, I read Gucci’s sales fell 10%. Sales in China saved the copernicus luxury brand from collapse. Last week LVMH put the brakes on Superstar Rhianna’s fashion line after two years. These stores are not a surprise in the current environment where consumers are in a holding pattern. The Black and Paper Fashion Lowdown report has been in the planning stages for a few weeks. I got tied up with other features. Also, the daily news from the fashion and retail world floods my in box. Keeping up with the fashion industry headlines evolved int a full time job. I read the daily using press. One grim reminder after another on the new world we are navigating. Layoffs, bankruptcies, unsold merchandise, the end is not around the corner. 2020 was a great reveal. 2021 will be reality.

Shopping Mall mothballed since December.

After having conversations with fashion professionals from around the world, my conclusion is: Uncertainty. A reset will happen, a slimmer. more grounded business.

I promise to make the Fashion Lowdown podcast. 

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Feature

Anna Wintour-A Survivor

Boy, did I get this wrong. Anna Wintour is the Great Survivor. The ultimate editor in chief had a hard 2020. Not only are magazine sales plummeting, Black Lives Matter has placed a spot light on company policies. By her own admittance, Vogue was not a friendly work place for people of color with a lack of diversity. Then came the remarks from ex bff Andre Talley. Speculation was rife, those sunglasses would be packing up, leaving the New York Conde Nast headquarters at the right time. 

The past few weeks have major exits of international Vogue editors. Chinese founding head Angelica Cheung departed in November. It was last week, when I got a sudden message, German Vogue chief Christian Arp would leave her position at Conde Nast in December citing personal reasons after 17 years at the magazine. Business of Fashion reported Arp was pushed out. Vogue Spain editor Eugenia de la Torriente resigned last month. What is going on at the publishing house?

Vogue head Anna Wintour
Talk About Being WRONG!! Wintour from Vogue

Not All On One Card

Conde Nast honcho Roger Lynch has decided to streamline operations as well as have one voice over all 30 titles. Ms. Wintour’s new titles are Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director of Vogue. Thankfully, I do not think she needs to worry about putting all that on a business card. Lynch states, “Anna’s appointment represents a pivotal moment for Condé Nast as her ability to stay ahead in connecting with new audiences.” An interesting comment given the realities of the past year.

The Statement

The more interesting variable is the rise of Vogue UK chief Edward Einnful. His approach has made the title relevant. Mr. Einnful will oversee France, Germany, Spain and Italy Vogue editions.

It is no secret magazines have struggled over the past years. Vogue and Conde Nast have not kept up with the times. Ad budgets have spread across different platforms. Print sales have declined. Titles have closed. Staff layoffs. How does this new deck chair arrangement change the present landscape for Conde Nast? Instagram and Tik Tok have become the place for instant fashion influence and inspiration. I see cost savings in this revamp, but no fresh ideas. That could be a continuing problem for the Vogue team.