‘Pigeon-eyed readers’: The adaptation and formation of a global Asian fashion magazine

Abstract

Fashion magazines are the perfect medium to observe the twin synergies of adaptation and copying within the larger thesis of ‘glocalization’. For it would seem that fashion magazines all over the world resemble each other to a certain degree but each publication is differentiated enough to sell monthly. While magazines overall tend to conform to a format and genre, individual publications have to shape themselves into unique titles with their own ethos and style that target a specific readership tribe. How do fashion magazines, local and syndicated, establish their niche and attract the readership they want? This article looks at a unique global fashion magazine, WestEast magazine from Hong Kong, and the strategies it has utilized to sell to a global readership from Asia to the West. This analysis of WestEast's inception and growth demonstrates that the process of adaptation and copying begins with product conceptualization, and that a culturally nuanced understanding of its local readership and market is essential for its success.