Conde Nast Opening Vogue in India

Conde Nast, the US magazine group that owns Vogue, is going to launch its banner title in India, and it's doing it on its own.

The title, to be based in Mumbai, will be the 17th edition of Vogue worldwide and will hit newsstands in the subcontinent this autumn.

"Unlike most other Western publishers, Conde Nast will own and operate its own magazines in India rather than publishing through a joint venture or a license," Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman of Conde Nast International, said in a press release.

"Vogue is just the beginning," added Newhouse, scion of the New York family that controls the group.

In recognition of India’s historic links to Britain, and a compliment to the business acumen of the Conde Nast UK’s managing director, Nicholas Coleridge, he will oversee the launch.

“India is… a subcontinent with a uniquely rich and fascinating culture. To launch an India edition of Vogue at this time is an exhilarating assignment," Coleridge said.

Conde Nast has already hired Priya Tanna, formerly of DNA and Times of India, to be the title’s debut editor-in-chief, and named Arjun Mehra, formerly publisher of L'Officiel in India, as the new Vogue’s publisher.

The magazine group also named Alex Kuruvilla as Condé Nast India Managing Director. Kuruvilla is a former Managing Director of MTV India and Executive Vice President of MTV Networks Asia.

Running her eye over the fashion will be editorial director Anna Harvey, the well-liked former Deputy Editor of British Vogue and Editorial Director of Russian Vogue.

The move will mark a significant change for Harvey, whose ultimate new boss will be British gent Coleridge instead of her former superior, Conde Nast’s president of New Markets Europe/Africa, Bernd Runge, a former Stasi informer.

Conde Nast, which owns such titles as Glamour, Vanity Fair, GQ, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler and The New Yorker, boasts some 120 titles in 22 markets worldwide.

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