W (magazine)

W is an American fashion magazine published by Future Media Group in print and online. W features stories about style through the lens of culture, fashion, art, celebrity, and film.

W
Mila Kunis on the cover of the June 2014 issue
Editor-In-ChiefSara Moonves
CEOMarc Lotenberg
CategoriesFashion, women
Frequency8 issues per year
FormatOversized
Total circulation
(December 2018)		453,438[1]
Year founded1972 (1972)
Final issueMarch 2020 (print)
CompanyBustle
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.wmagazine.com
ISSN0162-9115
OCLC1781845

Future Media Group purchased W from Conde Nast in June 2019. Conde Naste purchased the magazine from the original owner, Fairchild Publications in 2000. It was created in 1972[2][3] by the publisher of sister magazine Women's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and thirteen inches tall. Sara Moonves is the editor; Marc Lotenberg is the CEO of Future Media Group. Lotenberg said he bought W because he wants to transform legacy titles into “something that is just more than media.” [4]

W has a reader base of nearly half a million, 469,000 of which are annual subscribers. Eighty percent of the magazine's readers are female and have an average household income of $135,840.[5]

Publication history

Originally a biweekly newspaper that was spun off from Women's Wear Daily, W became an oversized monthly magazine in 1993.

Often the subject of controversy, W has featured stories and covers which have provoked mixed responses from its intended audience. In July 2005, W produced a 60-page Steven Klein portfolio of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt entitled "Domestic Bliss".[6] The shoot was based upon Pitt's idea of the irony of the perfect American family; set in 1963, the photographs mirror the era when 1960s disillusionment was boiling under the facade of pristine 1950s suburbia.

Other controversial issues include Steven Meisel's shoot 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 Steven 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."[7] Steven Klein also was the photographer for the racy photo shoot featured in the August 2007 issue, showcasing David and Victoria Beckham.[8] 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.[9][10] Most of W's most memorable covers are featured on the W Classics[11] page on the magazine's website.

W is also known for its coverage of American and European society. 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[12] feature, including Marc Jacobs, Sir Evelyn Rothschild and Imelda Marcos.

In 2011, Steven Meisel created controversy again by promoting fake advertisements throughout the November issue of the magazine. In 2013, Meisel shot RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 contestant Carmen Carrera in an editorial called "Show girl", promoting the beauty of the transgender model.

In 2013, the magazine started combining the January/December and June/July issues so as to free up money to invest in the magazine's digital brand.[13]

In May 2019, the New York Post reported that Future Media Group was purchasing the magazine for $7 million and that under CEO Marc Lotenberg, Sara Moonves was replacing Stefano Tonchi, the first ever female editor-in-chief in the magazine's history.[14]

In June 2019, Condé Nast fired Tonchi as it sold W, which he’d headed for nine years, to Surface Media.[15][16] He sued them claiming wrongful termination, and Condé Nast sued him charging that he was a “faithless servant” who interfered with the sale to achieve benefits for himself; Condé Nast is seeking the return of “all monies paid to him during his period of disloyalty".[15]

Under Lotenberg’s tenure, the new W team finished the biggest Best Performances issue ever. In the first week of January 2020, W launched 9 covers, a 76-page celebrity portfolio covering 29 celebrities and 20 videos. [17]

Additionally, W 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 has 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. [18]

An announcement was made in late March 2020 that the print version of the magazine would go on hiatus.[19]

Photo editing controversy

The issue of drastic photo retouching became national news when in the December 2009 issue, actress Demi Moore was presented with a remarkably slim figure and what appeared to many critics to be a poorly Photoshopped hip.[20] Both the magazine and Moore denied this claim; the actress posted on her Twitter account what she claimed was the original photo from the shoot,[21] and further disputed that the editors of W had slimmed her figure to make her appear thinner.[22] Citrano later challenged this claim by Moore by offering $5,000 to charity if Moore could prove that the photo she provided was the original photo from the shoot.[23] On November 24, 2009, the consumer watchdog website The Consumerist claimed that Moore's head, legs, and arms had been superimposed on runway model Anja Rubik's hips and torso.[24]

International editions

An international edition was previously published in Japan. The South Korean edition was launched in 2005 and is published under license by Doosan Magazine.[25]

See also

References
  1. "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Alliance for Audited Media. December 31, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  2. "Fashion Magazines". Kismet Girls. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  3. Ane Lynge-Jorlén (2012). "Between Frivolity and Art: Contemporary Niche Fashion Magazines". Fashion Theory. 16 (1): 7–28. doi:10.2752/175174112X13183318404104.
  4. Fernandez, Chantal. "Stefano Tonchi Exits W After Acquisition by Surface Magazine Owner". Business Of Fashion. Business Of Fashion. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  5. Echo Media – W magazine
  6. Christopher Bagley (July 2005), Domestic Bliss, Condé Nast, retrieved 2009-02-12
  7. Jane Larkworthy and Bridget Foley (November 2005), "Fordbitten", W magazine, retrieved 2009-02-12
  8. "American Idols", W magazine, August 2007, retrieved February 12, 2009
  9. "Come on Down to Nawlins", W, April 2008, retrieved 2009-02-12
  10. "Summer Camp", W, July 2008, retrieved February 12, 2009
  11. W Classics
  12. W House Tours
  13. Emma Bazilian (January 31, 2013), "Condé Nast's W Cuts Frequency, Ups Digital Focus Magazine to move to responsive digital design", Adweek, retrieved May 16, 2013
  14. Kelly, Keith J. (2019-05-23). "Condé Nast nearing $7M sale of W Magazine". New York Post. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  15. Condé Nast slams former W editor Stefano Tonchi as 'faithless' extortionist
  16. Condé Nast Hits Back Hard at Stefano Tonchi’s W Magazine Lawsuit – WWD
  17. Editors, The. "Brad Pitt, Chris Evans, Laura Dern, and Six Other Stars Grace the Covers of W's Best Performances 2020 Issue". W Magazine. W Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  18. "5 Things With Lynn Hirschberg" (Podcast). W Magazine. June 2020.
  19. W Magazine struggles New York Times. March 25, 2020.
  20. Jardin, Xeni (November 17, 2009). "Was Demi Moore Ralph-Laurenized on "W" mag cover, with missing hip-flesh?". Boing Boing. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  21. twitpic
  22. "Demi Moore's Hip Photoshopped For W Cover? She Says NO!". Huffington Post. March 18, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  23. Carmon, Irin (November 20, 2009). "Photographer Bets $5,000 On Demi Moore W Cover Retouching". Jezebel. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  24. Northrup, Laura (November 24, 2009). "Great, Now Demi Moore's Torso Is Missing". The Consumerist. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  25. Magazines. Doosan Global.
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