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The editor-in-chief of Vogue China, Margaret Zhang, has left the publishing group in the latest senior departure from the fashion magazine and its US owner, media group Condé Nast.
A noted fashion executive with more than 2mn followers on Instagram, Zhang was seen as one of the rising stars of Condé Nast. She became Vogue’s youngest editor when she was hired two years ago.
Her appointment was considered an important strategic move to target a younger, more digitally native audience in China, a fast-growing market for fashion. However, she will leave the group after her contract ends next month, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Zhang’s departure will mark the latest senior executive to leave Vogue and Condé Nast over the past year, with some staff unhappy following a reorganisation of its businesses designed to position the group for a more digital audience.
Vogue’s UK edition, for example, will no longer have an editor-in-chief once Edward Enninful leaves next month. Instead, his replacement, Chioma Nnadi, is the head of editorial content, reporting to overall Vogue global editorial director Anna Wintour in New York.
UK executives such as Vanessa Kingori and UK managing director Albert Read have also left Vogue.
During her time at Vogue China, Zhang was attacked on social media in China for being born in Australia, people familiar with her position said, despite both her parents being ethnic Chinese.
One person familiar with the attacks on Zhang described them as “toxic”. They added that they often amounted to her “not being Chinese enough” for the domestic market, adding that Condé Nast should have been more supportive following the abuse.
A person close to Condé Nast said management was never made aware of any serious threats.
A message from Wintour sent to staff at Vogue China on Friday evening after being contacted by the Financial Times confirmed “Margaret’s decision to transition to a new chapter in her career after many contributions at Vogue China”.
Wintour said the group had started the search for a new Vogue China editor-in-chief, adding: “It is my top priority to find a visionary new leader without delay.”
Condé Nast declined to comment.
Last year, the group said it would cut about 5 per cent of its staff, or about 270 employees, as it sought to cut costs given pressure on digital advertising and a decline in social media traffic.
Hundreds of union members held a strike last month in protest against the company’s negotiating position in making job cuts — a situation exacerbated by the decision to merge the Pitchfork website with GQ magazine.
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