Fashion editors are the new retail directors

Are magazine editors the new brand saviours? They are according to The Business of Fashion, who recently commented that commercial content for fashion brands is the new editorial. Jeremy Langmead, former editor of Esquire, is now at

online retailer Mr. Porter, the brother site of Net-a-porter.com. Andrea Linett, formerly of America's Lucky magazine, is now at eBay. Dennis Freedman, formerly of W magazine, is now at Barneys. Fiona McIntosh, formerly of Grazia, is now at My Wardrobe. And the list goes on. It seems that there are almost weekly reports announcing that yet another magazine veteran has fled a traditional publishing company to take up a position at a brand or retailer.

British Vogue recently announced the departure of its creative director Robin Derrick and fashion director Kate Phelan, with Phelan taking the coveted post of creative director of Topshop.

The rise of the digital age has been a set back for traditional publishing. For example, from 2007 through 2009, Condé Nast — publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and others — saw about $500 million in revenue disappear, a decline from which it has yet to recover.

While brands have cut back on their advertising spending in magazines, the internet has also given them a new platform to engage consumers directly with their own editorial content.

There’s been a great deal of discussion about the death of old business models, and the emergence of new ones, there has been relatively little said about the impact of this evolution on the actual content itself.

Net-a-Porter has been at the forefront of sales combined with editorial. “Merging magazine reading and shopping creates the ultimate playground for fashion lovers — an entirely shopable magazine,” said Claudia Plant, Net-a-Porter’s editorial director, who left Tatler ten years ago, becoming one of the first members of Natalie Massenet’s team, pioneering this new editorial model.

“Editorial content, in all its forms, is an engaging and effective way of articulating who you are and what you stand for to users who are increasingly interested in the narratives surrounding a brand,” said Horacio Silva, who recently departed his position as online director of New York Times style magazine T to join brand marketing and entertainment agency All Day Every Day as director of content.

But despite the risks, for both brands who create their own editorial and retailers who editorialise their inventory, it’s worth remembering that content only establishes affinity if it expresses a clear and confident point of view. In the end, that continues to be what separates bland content from intriguing editorial. As Langmead says, “The editorial content provides us with a voice.”

Image: Net-a-porter Magazine
Source: The Business of Fashion©