‘Vogue’ sets team in place, readies for autumn 2007 launch

In an official communiqué, Condé Nast International has announced the launch of ‘Vogue’, its fashion and lifestyle magazine in India. The magazine will be on the stands by the autumn of 2007.

The magazine, which will be based out of Mumbai, will be the 17th edition of ‘Vogue’ worldwide. It marks the first foray of Condé Nast in the Asian subcontinent. The 16 other countries in which it publishes ‘Vogue’ are the US, the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Greece, Portugal and China. The China launch took place in September 2005.

Anna Harvey has been appointed editorial director of the magazine. She has witnessed the launch of a number of international editions of ‘Vogue’, including in Russia, Portugal and Greece. She was formerly fashion director and subsequently deputy editor of the British ‘Vogue’. In 1997, she was appointed editorial director of Condé Nast, new markets.

Priya Tanna has been roped in as editor of ‘Vogue’ in India and will work alongside Harvey and other senior international Condé Nast executives. Tanna has an abundance of experience as an editor, most recently on ‘After Hours’, the entertainment and lifestyle daily of ‘DNA’; ‘Rouge’, the woman’s supplement from ‘The Times of India’ and ‘Time and Style’, a quarterly watch and jewellery magazine. Tanna was also the launch editor of ‘Femina Girl’.

Arjun Mehra is the publisher of the Indian ‘Vogue’. Mehra was the publisher of ‘L’Officiel India’ and has significant experience in the publishing and luxury industry.

Laura Silverman is to be managing editor. A Harvard graduate, Silverman comes from ‘Maxim’ (New York), where she was managing editor for four years. Her previous assignments include being managing editor, ‘Vibe’ (New York) and general editor of ‘Newsweek Japan Magazine’.

Anaita Shroff Adajania has been appointed fashion director of the new ‘Vogue’. Adajania is one of India’s leading stylists and has eight years of styling and fashion experience as fashion editor, ‘Elle’, and fashion director, ‘L’Officiel India’. She has fashioned the look for movies such as ‘Dhoom’, ‘Dhoom 2’and ‘Being Cyrus’.

In a separate appointment, Oona Dhabhar will assume the position of marketing director of Condé Nast India. Dhabar has spent the last 11 years working for Procter & Gamble in the consumer and market research divisions across a large number of brands in the beauty category.

Talking about entering India, Kuruvilla says, “India is a potential market which could not be ignored. Several of our partners are coming to India and we thought of making ‘Vogue’ available to them to deliver their messages.”

“If we look at the 16 markets that we are already present in, we see a consistent finding. For the woman, ‘Vogue’ is the ultimate influence and plays an iconic role in shaping her mindset. And as far as competition is concerned, we are here to create a distinct benchmark altogether. We shall make reading an experience.”

The target group for this magazine is the affluent Indian woman, a category that is fast changing in India. Apart from the office in Mumbai, the group plans to set up an office in Delhi and cover South India as well.

Throwing some light on the market scenario, Kuruvilla reveals, “Six months ago, I thought the publishing industry had suddenly become silent. But one can expect the industry to be abuzz with activity all over again!”

For the record, Condé Nast is a publisher of lifestyle magazines.  It publishes 120 titles in 22 markets around the world, including titles such as ‘Glamour’, ‘GQ’, ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘Wired’ and ‘Condé Nast Traveler’. Conde Nast India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Condé Nast International.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!