Chloe Malle And The Future Of Vogue
Around the end of June of this year, Anna Wintour stepped down from her role as Vogue's editor-in-chief. Wintour is a household name in the fashion industry, with nearly four decades of work at the helm of Vogue accredited to her name. Such a massive icon doesn’t just step down without the world around her aflutter with anticipation. Her empty seat leaves more than just a staff position that needs filling, but a legend that must be lived up to. While it is no small feat, Chloe Malle is hoping to accomplish just that, already painting bright pictures of the future of Vogue.
Malle was announced the new head of editorial content in Vogue US at the beginning of September. Malle is no stranger to the world of Vogue, with a history working with the publication as the editor of Vogue's website and as a podcast host for The Run-through With Vogue. Her history with Vogue doesn’t mean that she plans to embrace tradition, however.
One of the most notable claims Malle has made in regards to her plans on the future of publications emerging from Vogue (specifically print publications) is that she plans to release less of them. In other words, she hopes to put the practice of monthly magazine editions to rest.
It seems that the plan is as follows: while there will be less magazines, the work that goes into each issue will make the reduced quantity worth it. Malle explains that she wants every magazine to have a specific theme and connect to a moment in our society's culture that begs to be captured. The magazines themselves will have higher quality paper, aiming to fill the role of a collectible item. Showing off to future generations as somewhat of a relic and marking the tone of the era it was released in.
Unorthodox? Certainly. Risky? Definitely. Wrong? Not necessarily!
While Vogue remains one of the most reputable fashion publications, its readership is mostly kept through online browsing these days. Figures such as Roger Lynch corroborate on this claim, seeming to agree that Vogues primary source of attention is no longer its print publications.
Given this culture shift, it could be a wise decision to break away from routine and increase the scarcity of print publications, bringing up their value and intrigue through their sparsity.
In addition to her plans for changing the publishing schedule, Malle has also made claims to change the target demographic of Vogue's readership. She has expressed that she wants to curate a smaller, more niche audience. This may imply that she wants to return Vogue back to its fashionable roots, pulling away from other topics such as pop-culture and general lifestyle.
No matter the details of her plans, Vogue enthusiasts such as myself pray that the changes she makes prove to be fruitful. The magazine industry as a whole is hemorrhaging with readership losses, and Vogue has already had to make many changes to compensate for this. For example, they recently reduced the amount of magazine publications from 11 to 10 (perhaps the precursor to Malle's new publication approach) and shortened its famed September issue. A little under a decade ago in 2016, Vogue's September issue was 800 pages. This year, it was under 400.
We can only hope that the bold strokes Malle paints in the hallowed halls of her new title help reunite Vogue with the overwhelming readership and cultural interest it was once teeming with.
With these bold new plans, Vogue may be able to successfully maintain its status as the titan of fashion publications in our fast-paced world.
Strike out,
Alara Ataman
Boca Raton
Alara Ataman is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine. An avid fan of fashion, this Pisces can be found scrolling through Depop or elbows deep in a thrift store looking for the perfect piece. If you can’t find her doing this, you may find her browsing numerous cafes in her endless quest for the perfect iced coffee. You can reach her at @leopard_fawn on most social media platforms.
