Condé Nast Pauses Russian Operations
Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, has suspended its publishing operations in Russia.
Roger Lynch, the company’s chief executive officer, said in a memo sent Tuesday to Condé Nast’s global staff that the recent censorship laws passed by the Russian government have made it impossible for the company to operate in the market.
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“To that end, we have decided to suspend all of our publishing operations with Condé Nast Russia at this time,” he said.
Lynch added that “with journalists and editorial teams around the world, it is paramount that we are able to produce our content without risk to our staff’s security and safety.”
At the same time, he encouraged all the staff to participate in the company match program with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Russian arm of Condé Nast was founded in 1998. It published seven titles in the market, including Vogue, GQ, GQ Style, Tatler, Glamour, Glamour Style Book and Architectural Digest, until Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The company claimed that it reaches more than 21 million people in the country with its media brands.
Condé Nast is also present in Ukraine. It formed a license agreement with Media Group Ukraine in 2013 to publish the local edition of Vogue.
Vogue Ukraine has been very vocal in asking the fashion community to stand with Ukraine and condemn Russia’s invasion on social media.
On March 1, the magazine called for a fashion embargo on Russia, demanding “all international fashion and luxury conglomerates and companies to cease any collaborations on the aggressor’s market effective immediately,” and urged the global fashion industry “to not keep silence during these dark times as it has the strongest voice.”
Meanwhile, Vogue Russia has disabled comments on Instagram and continued to post about fashion week content till Tuesday. But it did post several paintings of doves by Pablo Picasso, quietly calling for peace and showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine since the war broke out.
Several major luxury and fashion companies, including LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Kering, Burberry, Pandora and Chanel, have halted trading in Russia in the past week.
Related:
Luxury Brands Should Brace for Long-term Consequences of Putin’s War
LVMH, Hermès, Kering, Chanel Alter Business With Russia
H&M, Nike and Puma Alter Operations in Russia in Response to Invasion of Ukraine
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