Condé Nast is betting on Singapore for Vogue’s 27th global edition, which launches today with Norman Tan as founding editor-in-chief. It is Condé Nast’s second title in Southeast Asia, following Vogue Thailand’s launch in 2013.
Licensed under local publisher Indochine Media, Vogue Singapore will comprise a monthly print publication and website. Condé Nast chose to partner with Indochine because of its more than 10 years of experience in luxury print publishing across Southeast Asia, including the regional titles for Buro, Esquire and Robb Report, says Karina Dobrotvorskaya, executive director of editorial development at Condé Nast.
“Backed by Condé Nast’s reputation, [Vogue] is an acknowledgment of the continuous strive for quality we pursue here in Southeast Asia,” says Bettina von Schlippe, who comes onboard as publisher of Vogue Singapore at Indochine Media.
The launch of Vogue Singapore includes a print issue with three collectible covers and a new website, which will host a day of interactive experiences such as animated fashion shoots in Singapore’s futuristic gardens, a live performance from buzzy Seoul DJ Ana Kim, and a conversation on the future of fashion and technology, hosted by American Vogue’s editor-in-chief and Condé Nast’s US artistic director and global content advisor Anna Wintour.
“Innovation and technology is a big part of what we are doing here in Singapore,” says Tan, a former lawyer-turned-editor, with a decade of print and digital magazine experience. “Sometimes I find that you flick through glossies in Asia, and they’re beautiful, but after a flick through once at the hairdresser’s or the airport, you don’t want to pick up that magazine again. I want to create a book that you would be proud to carry in your arm or have on your coffee table.”
This isn’t Vogue’s first attempt to enter Singapore: the title first launched in the 1990s under the Asia-Pacific arm of Condé Nast, where it had a short-lived stint before closing in 1997. But this time is different. The title back then was an extension of Vogue Australia and didn’t have its own independent editorial team, Dobrotvorskaya explains. “[As a result] the content did not have enough local relevance for its readers and it became no longer economically viable to publish.”
Despite its smaller population, Singapore witnessed one of the 10 highest growth rates of ultra-high net worth individuals (those with a net worth of US$30 million) in the world, from 2018 to 2019, according to Knight Frank’s Wealth Report. The local growth of UHNWIs came as more investors and entrepreneurs were drawn to Singapore’s potential for investment, as well as its lifestyle, the report found. Over the next five years, its UHNWI population is expected to grow by 29 per cent on a cumulative basis.
There is a real appetite for fashion magazines in Singapore, Tan says, and many luxury brands have regional offices in the country. Comme des Garçons chose to open a Dover Street Market flagship in Singapore over other locations like Hong Kong in 2017. “It’s such a cosmopolitan, forward-thinking city. There’s a lot of appetite for what’s new and what’s next, and that has helped the media scene flourish.”
While maintaining Vogue’s reputation as a go-to fashion resource comes first, Tan hopes that the title can also be a voice for positive change and help to elevate local talent. For the launch, the title partnered with fashion designer Robert Wun, known for his 3D-looking dresses, to create a garment inspired by an orchid, the national flower of Singapore. It was also important to have Indian-Singaporean model, Diya Prabhakar, on one of the launch covers, Tan says. Often, Chinese models are featured in creatives in Singapore. Tan and Von Schlippe both count diversity and inclusion as the magazine’s core values.
“For a magazine to be great, you need to have a strong clarity of vision and know what you want to say,” Tan says. “Everyone asks who I think the Singapore woman is. But I think with Black Lives Matter and Covid-19 this year, our demographic is no longer about shared lifestyles but shared values. It’s about representation, sustainability and dreams.”
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