The first head of editorial content for American Vogue was always going to have their work cut out for them.
The task of succeeding Anna Wintour as the publication’s day-to-day editorial leader is a weighty one, particularly in the midst of a years-long decline for traditional media. Making it even more complicated is the fact that they’ll be reporting to the legendary editor, who is retaining her titles of global editorial director for Vogue, overseeing all international editions, as well as chief content officer for publisher Condé Nast, with all its titles (excepting The New Yorker) under her purview.
Chloe Malle, a longtime Vogue veteran who the publication confirmed on Tuesday had landed the position, told The New York Times she’s happy to have Wintour still sitting in her office down the hall. She’s spent the bulk of her professional career working under Wintour; her appointment likely means that any change coming to Vogue under her leadership will look more like an evolution than a revolution.
Still, Malle said that she feels it’s important to put her own stamp on the publication, which, despite its waning influence, still remains one of the most recognisable and prestigious brand names in fashion today. Malle gave a preview of what that will look like in practice, saying she wants to lean further into Vogue’s focus area of fashion in hopes of building “a more direct, smaller, healthier audience,” as well as transforming the print magazine into more of a commemorative product, tied to major themes or cultural moments. In both digital and print, there will be less content, with fewer issues of the magazine and a diminished volume of articles published online.
Zeroing in on fashion in hopes of appealing to a smaller, but more loyal audience is the opposite approach that most major magazines took at the beginning of the digital age, chasing traffic at all costs in hopes of recruiting advertisers. But that strategy ultimately made for an ecosystem where content wasn’t distinct to a particular outlet. Everyone from Vogue to Marie Claire to Cosmopolitan leaned heavily into the sorts of stories that reliably got people to click — mostly celebrity news. But chasing traffic left publications vulnerable to changes to social and search algorithms. They couldn’t compete with platforms like Google and Facebook when it came to reach. Digital ad dollars have grown, but not enough to make up for the declines in print.
Now, more media brands are pivoting towards the exact model Malle wants to employ at Vogue in an attempt to stave off decline. Willa Bennett, who started as the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan last fall, said that she thinks all the publication’s content should be put through the lens of sex and relationships. Marie Claire’s Nikki Ogunnaike has zeroed in on its historical focus on career, with its “power” vertical.
It’s the media brands that can carve out a distinct identity that will be able to attract those most devoted readers — and convince them to pay for its offerings. Vogue certainly has the cachet, but it remains to be seen if they can create something people will fork over cash for. Its attempt to create a membership program, Vogue Club, quietly shuttered earlier this year, though its higher-tier counterpart, the Vogue 100, has been more of a success — despite the much steeper price tag, reportedly $100,000 versus Vogue Club’s $30 a month.
To build that loyal audience, Vogue needs to evolve its identity. Too much change too quickly — unlikely with Wintour still, ultimately, in charge — could alienate readers. Instead, Malle would do well to lean into what Vogue does better than its competitors. Wedding coverage, for instance, has emerged as a standout success in recent years, landing exclusives with major stars including Jennifer Lopez and Sofia Richie, as well as Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
Vogue may never carry the sway it once did, but enough people have an emotional connection to the magazine that there’s hope Malle’s vision could bear fruit. After all, in a world of sameness in media, the more your content stands out, the more valuable it is to readers.