The Arab edition of Vogue will make its debut as an English and Arabic language website, with a print edition to follow in Spring 2017. The newest edition of Vogue, the 22nd around the world, will be published under a license agreement with Nervora, a Dubai-based publisher which currently produces the region's leading fashion website.
"There has been a growing demand for Vogue in the Arab world for some time, and now the time has come to make it a reality," said Newhouse.
Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz has been appointed Editor in Chief of Vogue Arabia. Abdulaziz is well known in the fashion world as the founder of a Riyadh-based, members-only boutique, D'NA, which is considered to be a beacon of fashion in the Arabian peninsula, says Condé Nast. She has earned a reputation as a fashion opinion leader and a source of inspiration for local and international designers. Having spent time in the United States and Europe, she brings to the role an understanding of Western and Arab cultures.
The fashion team working under Abdulaziz includes Fashion Director Daniela Agnelli and Features Director Caterina Minthe. Agnelli has held senior roles with London's Telegraph magazine for 15 years. She began her career as a fashion journalist in Italy and has worked for a number of upmarket publications in Britain and the US. Minthe is currently Managing Director of Style.com/Arabia, the fashion website operated by Nervora, which will be replaced by the Vogue Arabia website and rebranded.
One of Vogue Arabia's first tasks will be to take responsibility for The Fashion Prize, which will be relaunched as the DDFC/Vogue Fashion Prize. It is an annual endowment for the most promising fashion and accessory design talents in the Arab world, which was launched by Nervora in partnership with the Dubai Design & Fashion Council.
Vogue Arabia will be based in Dubai, where Nervora has its media headquarters, and will target the wider Middle East region.
Shashi Menon, CEO of Nervora, remarked “Nearly four years ago, we embarked on a mission to change the fashion landscape in the Middle East with Style.com/Arabia. That mission continues — and grows markedly — with Vogue, the world's preeminent fashion publication. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Karina Dobrotvorskaya, President of Condé Nast New Markets and Editorial Director, Brand Development, added “A digital first launch for Vogue is a historic moment. By transitioning the existing Style.com/Arabia platform we immediately draw on a unique blend of digital experience and entrepreneurial spirit at Nervora, an Editor in Chief with a deep understanding of fashion and the modern Arabian woman, all supported by the publishing expertise of Condé Nast International. We are excited to put Arabian fashion culture in an international context and hope that Vogue Arabia will transform the media landscape in the region.”
Vogue Arabia will be the twenty-second edition of the magazine worldwide. Vogue is published in the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Russia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mexico & Latin America, Korea, Brazil, Australia, Portugal, India, Turkey, Thailand, the Netherlands and the Ukraine.
