Chinese Australian fashion influencer Margaret Zhang was named editor-in-chief of Vogue China on Thursday. At just 27, Zhang will be Vogue‘s youngest editor-in-chief globally. Zhang will succeed Vogue China’s founding editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung and will oversee its editorial direction and content, despite having never edited a magazine.
“Margaret creates content on so many different platforms and brings a new perspective and voice to Vogue China,” said Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer of Condé Nast, in an official press statement. “When Angelica Cheung founded Vogue China 15 years ago, she brilliantly broke new ground and now Margaret will continue that tradition of leading the incredibly creative and influential fashion culture in China.”
Zhang launched her own fashion blog, Shine By Three, at the age of 16 in 2009 and in a little over a decade has become a prominent fashion fixture: She served as a guest buyer for Matchesfashion during New York Fashion Week in 2014; she won the Elle Digital Influencer of the Year award in 2015; and she was inducted to Forbes’s 30 under 30 Asia list and TimeOut’s 40 Under 40 in 2016. That same year, Zhang co-founded Background, a global consultancy agency, which specializes in bridging Western and Chinese culture across a range of luxury, lifestyle and brand initiatives.
With 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Zhang is front-row regular at all the big shows and is a favorite street style subject. Adding to her achievements, Zhang’s photography, styling and creative direction has been featured on the pages of L’Officiel, Harper’s Bazaar, Nylon, Marie Claire and Elle. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in commerce and law from The University of Sydney.
“I am pleased to welcome Margaret to the Vogue China team, where both her visual strength as a creative and her business acumen will help accelerate our plans for digitalization and the development of a new media success formula,” said Li Li, managing director of Condé Nast China. “Her ability to leverage Condé Nast China’s data and insights together with her knowledge of new and emerging digital platforms will help us, together with our partners, to create cutting edge programs, campaigns and events.”
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