Margaret Zhang, a 27-year-old Sydneysider and fashion expert with more than 1.2 million Instagram followers, has been named editorial director of Vogue China. She is the youngest person to ever hold the editorial director position in any of Vogue’s global publications.
Zhang began her career as a blogger and influencer – indeed, this will be her first time editing a magazine. At sixteen she started her first blog, Shine By Three, before attending the University of Sydney where she studied law and commerce.
Her appointment may represent a shift towards an increasingly digital focus for the publisher, whose previous editor Angelica Cheung has been in the position for sixteen years. Cheung founded the Chinese branch of the masthead.
Zhang has appeared on the cover of a number of magazines, and is also known for her consulting work with top brands, including Google, YouTube, Moncler, and Mulberry, looking to move into the Chinese market.
She has also worked with Vogue China in the past, having launched two digital covers for Vogue ME China, aimed at targeting millenialls.
In a statement, she said, “There’s a lot of context about China that is lost; often it’s looked at as this one monolithic entity, as opposed to a country of individuals and innovations.”
“I think Vogue China has an immense platform to communicate about those individuals not only to the world but to its own citizens. There’s a huge opportunity to champion local talent — in film, music, and the fine arts, in addition to fashion — and bring it to a global stage because it’s such a recognizable brand and so trusted.”
Her priorities as editor will be sustainability, diversity, and inclusion as she pivots the masthead towards a younger readership.
“It’s not about having a green issue here or a sustainability conversation there. It’s about how you practice those principles, and it’s the same thing with diversity.”
She grew up in Sydney after her parents relocated from Huangyan in China’s Zhejiang province, and is also a classically trained pianist and ballerina.
Anna Wintour, Vogue‘s global editorial director, said, “her international experience, exceptional multiplatform digital expertise, and wide-ranging interests are the perfect combination to lead Vogue China into the future.”
Zhang plans to relocate to Beijing as soon as pandemic restrictions allow, but is currently editing the magazine from Sydney.
Featured Image: Instagram/@margaretzhang
