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Teen Vogue is being adopted by its parent mag.
Condé Nast said on Monday that it will fold Teen Vogue into Vogue.com.
Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Versha Sharma is out as part of the move, among other layoffs. But we hear that half the team is staying.
Half a dozen of those still on board are in editorial, and at least one audience development person will be absorbed into Condé Nast, according to company chatter.
Sharma started as EIC in 2021.
Teen Vogue is being folded into Vogue.com. Jamie Hawkesworth/ Vogue
Versha Sharma is out as Teen Vogue’s top editor. Getty Images for Teen Vogue
Vogue’s head of editorial content, Chloe Malle, who was appointed to the top role at the fashion bible in September, will oversee Teen Vogue going forward.
Said an insider, “It could’ve been a total bloodbath, but they’ve decided to invest in it.”
Condé Nast’s union “strongly condemned” the company’s decision, saying in a statement: “Condé leadership owes us — and Teen Vogue’s readership — answers. We will get those answers.” The union’s statement added: “Management plans to lay off six of our members, most of whom are BIPOC women or trans, including Teen Vogue’s Politics Editor — continuing the trend of layoffs at Condé disproportionately impacting marginalized employees… Teen Vogue now has no writers or editors explicitly covering politics.”
A source said the move could’ve been a “total bloodbath,” but that the company is investing in the mag. Getty Images for Teen Vogue
The Conde Nast union denounced the move. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Some staffers posted on social media that they’d been let go.
News and politics editor Lex McMenamin posted on social media app Bluesky on Monday: “I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day… certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.”
Style editor Aiyana Ishmael posted: “Teen Vogue was and will always be a special place and I’m so disheartened to see so many talented creatives and editors lose their jobs,” and, “I was laid off from Teen Vogue this week, alongside multiple other phenomenal team members.”
The union alleges the mag will no longer have any political editors. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Anna Wintour and Chloe Malle made statements about Teen Vogue’s future in a company announcement. Getty Images for Michael Kors
The announcement coincidentally was on the same day as the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, and a source said that Sharma had been picking out her dress for the event.
A Vogue rep did not comment when we reached out. An insider told us that Condé Nast bosses Anna Wintour and Roger Lynch want Teen Vogue to retain its own independence.
Malle said in a statement on Monday of the move, according to Vogue.com: “I remember when Teen Vogue launched, I read every page on the bus home from cross-country practice… I loved it then and I love and respect it now and am committed to continuing and supporting its point of view and sensibility.”
The mag’s now-former EIC has not addressed the move yet. Getty Images for American Ballet Theatre
The magazine had already ended its print run, and was digital only. Getty Images for Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue had already ceased a print edition in 2017 before it went digital-only.
Vogue Business also was brought into the Vogue.com fold. “We are looking forward to this new chapter. In our increasingly fragmented media landscape, making all Vogue — Teen Vogue and Vogue Business — accessible in one place sets us up for growth,” added Malle.
The announcement came on the same day as the CFDA awards. Getty Images for Teen Vogue
Wintour, the global chief content officer for Condé Nast, said in a statement: “As the media industry changes so quickly, we are thrilled to have Teen Vogue join the Vogue platform, allowing its content to reach a larger audience and inspire young people globally… We’re so grateful for Versha’s leadership and the impact she’s had during her time at Teen Vogue. Her vision guided it through an important period of change, and she was instrumental in building out the Teen Vogue Summit. We all look forward to seeing what she does next, and wish her the best.”
Sharma did not immediately address her exit on social media.
Source: PageSix | Read the Full Story…
