PRINCESS IS NO LONGER IN VOGUE
Fashion title fires royal editor after two issues.
Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, has been dismissed from the magazine after only two issues.
“I didn’t leave. I was fired. And I shall be releasing a statement about what happened later today,” she told Fashion Network in a phone call on Thursday. “They [the publisher, Nervora] are in breach of contract and they shall be hearing more from my lawyers,” she told the website.
The Saudi princess, who founded Riyadh-based members-only boutique D’NA, was appointed to head up the bilingual title in July 2016.
Vogue Arabia, published by Dubaibased publisher Nervora under licence from Condé Nast, launched as a dual-language website before its first print issue appeared in March.
Its first cover featured part-Palestinian American model Gigi Hadid in a veil, with the strapline “Reorienting perceptions”.
A UK gossip site quickly criticised the cover for being very similar to a 2010 dummy cover produced by a blogger calling him/herself The Polyglot. That cover also had a woman in a veil and the same cover line. Vogue Arabia’s PR agency was unable to provide comment on whether the blogger was pursuing legal action against the magazine.
At the time of going to press nei- ther the princess nor Nervora had issued any statement.
Within the industry, Vogue Arabia quickly gained a reputation for being aloof, often spurning invites to attend the same luxury events as its competitor titles.
Fashion site Business of Fashion reported that a new editor had already been appointed after Abdulaziz’s departure, which was “effective immediately”.
The ex-editor boasted no previous editing experience, but a press release from Nervora at the launch of Vogue Arabia said: “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.”