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W (magazine)

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W
Mila Kunis on the cover of the June 2014 issue
Editor-in-chiefSara Moonves
CategoriesFashion, women
Frequency6 issues per year
FormatOversized
Total circulation
(December 2018)		453,438[1]
Founded1972; 53 years ago (1972)
CompanyW Media
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewmagazine.com
ISSN0162-9115
OCLC1781845

W (or W Magazine) is an American fashion magazine that was launched in 1972 as a sister publication to Women's Wear Daily. The magazine features stories about style through the lens of art, celebrity, culture, fashion and film.

Background

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W was launched in 1972[2] by James Brady,[citation needed] who at the time was the publisher of the newspaper (and sister publication of W, Women's Wear Daily). The magazine was originally a bi-monthly publication until 1993 when it was relaunched as an oversized monthly publication.

In 2000 Condé Nast purchased the magazine from Fairchild Publications and in 2019 it was sold to Surface Media (later changing their name to Future Media Group) and in 2020 it was sold to W Media which was created for the purchase of the publication and it now works with operating partners Bustle Digital Group and Mic, along with a group of investors (led by Karlie Kloss).

The magazine is now published six times per year.

Circulation

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Average circulation (United States and International)[3]
Year 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Circulation 453,438 452,181 458,197 452,664 450,747

Editors

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Editor-in-Chief[note 1] Start year End year
John Fairchild 1972 1997
Patrick McCarthy[4] 1997 2010
Stefano Tonchi[5] 2010 2019
Sara Moonves[6] 2019 present

History

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Early Years, 1972–1999

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W Magazine origins lie in a biweekly newspaper, which was spun off from Women's Wear Daily,[7] becoming a large monthly magazine published by Fairchild Fashion Media in 1993. When Fairchilds' owner – Capital Cities/ABC – merged with The Walt Disney Company in 1997, W was one of the publications the new company continued to produce.[8]

Condé Nast, 1999–2019

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titles.[9]

Other controversial cover shoots include Steven Meisel's entitled "Asexual Revolution", in which male and female models (including Jessica Stam and Karen Elson) are depicted in gender-bending styles and provocative poses. In addition, Tom Ford's racy shoot with Klein and the accompanying article on sexuality in fashion came as a shock to some loyal readers. During the interview, Ford is quoted as saying: "I've always been about pansexuality. Whether I'm sleeping with girls or not at this point in my life, the clothes have often been androgynous, which is very much my standard of beauty".[10] Klein was also the photographer for the racy photo shoot featured in the August 2007 issue, showcasing David and Victoria Beckham.[11] Bruce Weber produced a 60-page tribute to New Orleans in the April 2008 issue, and shot a 36-page story on the newest fashion designers in Miami for the July 2008 issue.[12][13]

W also became well known for covering high class Western and Asian societies. Many of these society luminaries, as well as the elite of the entertainment and fashion industries, have allowed W into their homes for the magazine's "W House Tours"[14] feature, including famous designers, philanthropists, and cultural icons.

By 2009, W was harder hit than most fashion publications by a drop in luxury advertising, with ad pages down nearly 46 percent in one year.[15] Longtime editor in chief Patrick McCarthy retired in 2010 when Condé Nast moved W to its consumer magazine group, along with Vogue, Glamour and Allure.[7] Stefano Tonchi succeeded him as the magazine's editor in chief.[16] In 2011, Edward Enninful was tapped to take the magazine's style directorship.[17][18] Under Enninful's direction, W generated considerable attention for its riskier editorial, including the March 2012 cover shot by Steven Klein featuring Kate Moss depicted as a nun[19] as well as another cover featuring singer Nicki Minaj dolled up as an 18th-century French courtesan. For the magazine's November 2011 art issue, Enninful collaborated with Steven Meisel on a series of fake advertisements that ran throughout the magazine, including one that featured RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 contestant Carmen Carrera hawking a fictitious fragrance called La Femme.

In 2011, W participated in a four-episode plot line on the fourth season of CW teen drama Gossip Girl.[20]

Over the years, the magazine cut back its print editions from monthly in 2013 to eight times in 2018.[21]

Future Media, 2019–2020

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In 2018, W became one of three publications Condé Nast put up for sale in the face of significant financial losses that forced it to adopt a series of cost-cutting measures. By 2019, it was acquired by Future Media, in a deal the New York Post estimated at $7 million.[22][23] In June 2019, Moonves was named as its first-ever female editor-in-chief, succeeding Stefano Tonchi.[24]

Under Moonves's editorship, the magazine underwent a major transition. By 2020, she announced to staff that many were being furloughed and that those who work on online content would be staying on at reduced salaries.[9] The new W team finished the biggest Best Performances issue ever. In the first week of January 2020, W launched nine covers, a 76-page celebrity portfolio covering 29 celebrities and 20 videos.[25] Additionally, the magazine launched a series of new initiatives and dramatically expanded its digital footprint. They launched W’s first podcast, 5 Things with Lynn Hirschberg, which attracted a broad listener base and included guests like Quentin Tarantino, Charlize Theron, Saoirse Ronan, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Nicole Kidman, Awkwafina, and Margot Robbie as a part of the new vision for the brand.[26]

W Media, 2020–present

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On August 14, 2020, W was acquired by Bustle Digital Group, Mic,[23][27] and W Media, a newly formed joint venture led by Karlie Kloss and including Aryeh Bourkoff, Jason Blum, Kaia Gerber, Kirsten Green and Lewis Hamilton.[28] They retained Moonves as editor-in-chief.

International editions

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International edition were previously published in Japan and for Europe. The South Korean edition was launched in 2005 and is published under license by Doosan Magazine.[29] A Chinese edition was launched in 2023 under license by MC Style Media; the magazine's editor-in-chief is Mix Wei.[30]

Editors

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List of Editor-in-Chiefs of all W editions:[note 1]

Country Circulation dates Editor-in-Chief Start year End year References
United States of America (W) 1972–present John Fairchild 1972 1997 [4][5][6]
Patrick McCarthy 1997 2010
Stefano Tonchi 2010 2019
Sara Moonves 2019 present
South Korea (W Korea) 2005–present Hyejoo Lee present [31]
China (W China) 2023–present Mix Wei 2023 present [30]

See also

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Explanatory notes

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  1. ^ a b Prior to 2010 the Editor-in-Chief role did not exist at the American publication.

References

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  1. ^ "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Alliance for Audited Media. December 31, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  2. ^ Ane Lynge-Jorlén (2012). "Between Frivolity and Art: Contemporary Niche Fashion Magazines". Fashion Theory. 16 (1): 7–28. doi:10.2752/175174112X13183318404104. S2CID 191600010.
  3. ^ "AAM: Total Circ for Magazine Media". Alliance for Audited Media. Archived from the original on December 25, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Remembering Patrick McCarthy, Former Editor of W: "He is Irreplaceable"". W Magazine. March 1, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Who Is Stefano Tonchi and Why Does His New Job Matter?". Vanity Fair. March 23, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Kelly, Keith J. (June 25, 2019). "Condé Nast sells W Magazine; Sara Moonves named editor-in-chief". Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Richard Sandomir (28 February 2019), "Patrick McCarthy Dies at 67; Ran a Fashion Publishing Empire". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Farrell Kramer (7 February 1997), "Disney to keep W magazine parent Fairchild Publications". Associated Press.
  9. ^ a b Jacob Bernstein (25 March 2020), W Magazine Goes on Hiatus, Furloughs Much of Its Staff New York Times.
  10. ^ Larkworthy, Jane; Bridget Foley (November 2005). "Fordbitten". W. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  11. ^ "David and Victoria Beckham: American Idols". W Magazine. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Come on Down to Nawlins". W. April 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  13. ^ "Summer Camp". W. July 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
  14. ^ "W House Tours". W. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013.
  15. ^ Holly Ware (18 March 2010), W’s editor resigns as Condé revamps mag New York Post.
  16. ^ Stephanie Clifford (23 March 2010), A Times Editor Is Named to Lead W for Condé Nast New York Times.
  17. ^ "Ghana's Edward Enninful is Fashion & Style Director of W Magazine". bantudaily.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  18. ^ Donnelly, Erin (April 27, 2011). "Edward Enninful to Replace Alex White at W Magazine". fashionetc.com. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Self, Will (February 23, 2012). "Good Kate, Bad Kate". W.
  20. ^ Kat Stoeffel (15 February 2011), Does W Have a Carine Roitfeld Problem? Observer.
  21. ^ Keith J. Kelly (25 June 2019), Condé Nast sells W Magazine; Sara Moonves named editor-in-chief New York Post.
  22. ^ Keith J. Kelly (23 May 2019), Condé Nast nearing $7M sale of W Magazine New York Post.
  23. ^ a b Jacob Bernstein (13 August 2020), W Magazine Will Live Another Day, in Deal With Bustle Digital Group New York Times.
  24. ^ Marc Tracy (25 June 2019), Condé Nast Sells W Magazine; Stefano Tonchi Out as Top Editor New York Times.
  25. ^ "Brad Pitt, Chris Evans, Laura Dern, and Six Other Stars Grace the Covers of W's Best Performances 2020 Issue". W. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  26. ^ "5 Things With Lynn Hirschberg". W (Podcast). June 2020.
  27. ^ Freya Drohan (August 14, 2020). "Investor Group including Karlie Kloss and Kaia Gerber acquire W magazine". Daily Front Row. Retrieved October 4, 2020. Sara Moonves, the glossy's first female editor in chief in its 50-year history, assembled the group, led by model and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss. Other celebrity investors include fashion fixtures Lewis Hamilton and 18-year-old Kaia Gerber.
  28. ^ Todd Spangler (14 August 2020), Karlie Kloss Leads Buyout of W Magazine, With Jason Blum Among New Owners Variety.
  29. ^ "Announcer Jo Su-ae to marry Doosan Group's Park Seo-won". The Korea Herald. November 20, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  30. ^ a b "W Magazine Announces China Edition Launch". The Business of Fashion. March 22, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  31. ^ "about W | 더블유 코리아 (W Korea)". www.wkorea.com. Retrieved August 3, 2023.

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