Fashion focus: international Vogue (Asia)

Last week, I revisited the previously discussed topic of Vogue, with the intention to delve into the details of some of the international editions. In the prior article, I wrote about three of the 28 international editions – British Vogue, Vogue Italia, and Vogue Adria – as notable editions. However, these editions are not the only ones worth your attention. I will provide a spotlight on three editions of international Vogue based in Asia.

The style of Vogue China was revolutionised when Margeret Zhang succeeded Angelica Cheung, with the covers becoming more artistic and conceptual

The first edition of Vogue to debut in Asia was Vogue Singapore, although it has a more complicated history. The magazine launched in 1994 and was originally branded as ‘Vogue Australia Singapore’ with the theme of ‘East meets West’ for its first issue. Unfortunately, like the New Zealand edition, its publishing company, Condé Nast, suspended publication in 1996 as the magazine was not economically viable because of the small market in Singapore. However, unlike the New Zealand edition, which ceased to exist, Vogue Singapore was relaunched in 2020. Therefore, while the edition has existed for over 30 years, it has only been in print for under six years. The rebirth of the edition has been successful, with the debut issue having three covers. They featured a Singaporean model, a Chinese model, and a Japanese actress to celebrate the ethnic diversity of Singapore. The magazine is embracing 2025 with their January/February issue, ‘Resolution’, – featuring Stephanie Hsu photographed by Alvin Kean Wong, wearing a Terrence Zhou which has previously been worn by SZA and Rina Sawayama.

The most profitable edition in Asia, as mentioned briefly in the previous article, is Vogue China. Vogue China became the 16th edition of Vogue with the first issue being released in September 2005. The edition was an immediate success with the debut magazine’s initial print of 300,000 selling out, requiring a second printing. The 2nd editor-in-chief for Vogue China was Margaret Zhang, who succeeded Angelica Cheung. Zhang was only 27 when appointed for the position of editor-in-chief, which makes her the youngest editor-in-chief in Vogue history. Similar to British Vogue, Vogue China is economically successful through advertisement space, which many advertisers fight for in the magazine, and distribution sales. Vogue China excels with strong covers and photoshoots, such as the June 2024 issue with Liu Wen, as well as her cover in November 2021. The style of Vogue China was revolutionised when Margeret Zhang succeeded Angelica Cheung, with the covers becoming more artistic and conceptual as opposed to commercial. However, from Cheung, I enjoyed the composition of the January 2012 cover featuring Ming Xi.

Vogue Arabia is often glorified and idolised for having strong impactful covers, with strong formatting, bold staging, and vibrant colour

One of the more recent Asian editions of Vogue is Vogue Arabia, which became the 22nd edition of Vogue when its first issue was published in 2017. This is the Arab edition, based in Dubai, UAE and is distributed within several Arabic-speaking countries, with most of its readership coming from Saudi Arabia. Prior to the debut print, Vogue Arabia was launched as a digital website with Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz as editor-in-chief. This was the first international edition to focus on and prioritise digital media over print media during its conception, signifying the changes in consumption in the 21st century with technological advancements. Abdulaziz was only editor-in-chief for two print issues, which I believe to be the lowest amount for all editions of Vogue, but on her debut cover, she featured Palestinian-American supermodel Gigi Hadid. Vogue Arabia is often glorified and idolised for having strong impactful covers, with strong formatting, bold staging, and vibrant colour – most notably in the January 2020, August 2022 May 2023, and April 2024 editions. The most impactful cover, however, would have to be June 2018 which featured Saudi Princess Hayfa Bint Abdullah Al Saud in a car to celebrate the reformed law which allowed women to drive in Saudi Arabia. This issue caused immense controversy, with the cover being labelled as ‘tone deaf’ by critics because of the several activists who remained in custody in Saudi Arabia at the time of issue’s release. Irrespective of this blunder, Vogue Arabia has been able to maintain a strong reputation and join Singapore, and China – as well as Korea, India, and Taiwan – as important international editions of Vogue.