The adaptation of species in the fashion media ecosystem: the case of Vogue

ABSTRACT

Digitalization has reconfigured the landscape in the fashion media ecosystem. New species have emerged within the environment. Today, fashion magazines compete with numerous fashion and lifestyle content providers, questioning their role as the sole authority when it comes to deciding “what is fashionable” and challenging their monopoly when it comes to prescribing aesthetic tastes. The purpose of this study is to analyze the case of Vogue to illustrate how species can adapt to the ecosystem. Vogue’s original response, as reflected in the different initiatives we have studied, enables us to draw up a map of players within the fashion industry, one in which the magazine serves as an institution and not only as a member of the media. In this respect, our conclusions highlight the importance of the public, as opposed to the medium itself, based on an understanding of communication as a social rather than a technological phenomenon.

KEYWORDS:

• Disintermediation
• fashion magazine
• lifestyle journalism
• evolution
• fashion communication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Alliance of Audited Media, Condé Nast media kits, Condé Nast company documents. Data are valid as of December 31, 2012, and are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marta Torregrosa

Marta Torregrosa, BA in Philosophy holds a PhD in Philosophy. Professor of Communication Theory at the University of Navarra. Visiting Professor at Itsmo University, Guatemala (2014). Academic Director at the Advanced Program in Fashion Business Management (PADEM) at ISEM Fashion Business School Vice Dean at Master in screenwriting. University of Navarra (2015-2017).

Teresa Sadaba

Teresa Sádaba is the Dean at ISEM Fashion Business School, where she also teaches Strategic Communication for Fashion Companies. Professor at the University of Navarra and at George Washington University. Visiting professor at the Université Paris XII and Svizzera Italiana among others. Fulbright fellow. PhD in Communication, BA in Journalism and Political Science. Expert on public opinion and strategic communication.