The March issue launch cover, shot by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin exclusively for Vogue Arabia, features Gigi Hadid — a supermodel with Arab roots via her Palestinian father — styled in a uniquely Arabian way, say the publishers.
“Vogue Arabia is a magazine with the authority and insight needed to capture the creativity of a distinctive, evolving, and often misrepresented part of the world,” says Vogue Arabia’s Editor-in-Chief, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz. “The collage of countries across the Arab world are long-deserving of a place in fashion history," she continues, "and there’s no better first ‘face’ to lead the charge for Vogue Arabia than Gigi - a model who defines tomorrow’s entrepreneurial and dynamic generation.”
The March edition of Vogue Arabia follows the digital-first launch in October 2016 with Vogue.me, a bilingual platform. Similarly, the magazine is published in English along with a prominent section in Arabic, ensuring that Vogue Arabia is able to reach and engage the diversity of readers across the region. The magazine will be distributed across the MENA countries – the first premium, dual language, fashion media brand speaking to the region, according to Conde Nast, – with a strong presence in the GCC and in countries including Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, as well as international locales such as London, Paris, Milan, and New York.
“The unparalleled heritage and global footprint of the Vogue brand, combined with our distinct strategy of publishing more than 90% locally commissioned content with dual language editorial, assures our Pan-Arab business will be successful,” notes Shashi Menon, CEO of Nervora and Publisher of Vogue Arabia. “This is a bold bet on the future of marquee, high-gloss content in the region.”
Editorial in the launch issue includes fashion under the direction of fashion director Paul Cavaco featuring the works of leading photographers like Greg Kadel, Terry Tsiolis, Hans Feurer, and Ben Hassett, as well as new talents like Giovanni Squatriti and Fahren Feingold. Features include interviews with “it-girls” Amina Muaddi and Racil Chalhoub; an exclusive exposé on Aïcha Laghzaoui Benhima’s remarkable life; portraits of up-and-coming designers from London to Sydney; the home of Lebanese interior designer Maria Oussemi; and a portfolio of iconic images of Arabia in Vogue. Beauty, travel, art, and Vogue’s news section round up the editorial mix.
“The launch of Vogue Arabia is probably the most important, and exciting, magazine debut that I’ve ever been involved with,” adds Karina Dobrotvorskaya, President of Condé Nast New Markets and Editorial Director, Brand Development. “From the very beginning we knew that we wanted to address not just a local expat community, but all fashion-savvy Arab women. This is why we launched Vogue digitally first in two languages in October 2016. It's also why we do not just syndicate fashion shoots from different international editions of Vogue, and why we produce the shoots ourselves, specifically for our Arab audience.”
Vogue Arabia is 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.
