BY THE ALIMOCHE TEAM
20 JANUARY 2023
Publishing giant Condé Nast is set to leave their London headquarters at Vogue House in Mayfair, on the basis of the “constraints of the historic building”. The pragmatic yet shocking relocation will be complete in early 2024, gilding the Adelphi building with magazine magic, from British Vogue to GQ to Condé Nast Traveller and many more titles.
This move is a shock to the publishing industry, as Vogue House has been a site of pilgrimage for fashion; the equivalent of Fleet Street for newspapers, a Vatican for worldwide journalism. Countless industry titans have graced its hallowed ground- Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful, Sarah Harris and dozens before. But not only is it a sacred site for celebrities and editors; it is also an unforgettable experience offered by Condé Nast College, the publisher’s educational branch, providing short one-week courses, online courses and Masters’ Programmes. During the one-week Fashion Journalism Course at Condé Nast College in September 2022, Alimoche Co-Editor in Chief and Content Director Anika MacRae visited Vogue House to listen to professionals in the fashion and publishing industries enlighten students on their stories and challenges within the industry. She details her experience below.
VOGUE HOUSE- HALLOWED GROUND FOR 65 YEARS. FEATURING THE CO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CONTENT DIRECTOR OF ALIMOCHE, ANIKA MACRAE.
“Studying at Condé Nast College was a transformative experience for me. After attending runway shows at Graduate Fashion Week in London over Summer 2022, my heart was focussed on somehow entering the fashion industry. Following a period of mindless scrolling on Instagram, I received an advert from the College for their Fashion Journalism Course, and instantly became intrigued. As a lifelong penwoman, and freshly-awakened fashion aficionado, this course proved the perfect choice for forging my career as a fashion journalist and Co-Editor in Chief of my own magazine. Learning core fashion terminology, from fabrics to writing techniques, under the nurturing Paul Tierney, the eagle-eyed Annabel Kerman and the innovative Johannes Reponen, in addition to the insightful Aurora Starbuck and the unconventional Marcus Agerman Ross, has bestowed me with the push I have been craving. From feeling trapped and stifled within the constraints of law school academia to utilising my writing skills within my desired field was the creative push missing for years.
Part of the course involved an afternoon visit to Vogue House, during which fascinating talks from Glamour UK’s Editor in Chief Deborah Joseph and Condé Nast Johansens Digital Editor Alexander Ron, as well as various other industry professionals. Being in the same room as such acclaimed people was not only inspiring, but also motivational, as it proved on a mental basis, that despite my lack of a specific fashion background, I can and will still break out into the fashion industry as a writer and content creator.
DEBORAH JOSEPH, THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND EUROPEAN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF GLAMOUR UK CONTRIBUTED VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO HER JOURNEY MOVING THE PUBLICATION EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE, A KEY INSPIRATION FOR STARTING ALIMOCHE.
Cliché as it is, the moment I set foot into Vogue House, I knew my life would change forever. Gone was the uninspired rut of which I was deeply entrenched for months. Instead, the eclectic, atomically-inspired light fixture hovering above the desk- the Dreammaker, as I mentally nicknamed it. After passing the nonplussed receptionist and heading upstairs to a palace of culture, almost baroque in design, with ornate mouldings and whitewashed panelling adorned with greyscale shots of the greats, I knew this was exactly the type of place I would want to work. Despite judgmental side-eyes and whispers from my peers, it was simply imperative for me to stop and snap a photo of Sinead O’Connor, one of my personal iconoclastic heroines.
SINEAD O'CONNOR- ONE OF THE ICONS ON DISPLAY AT VOGUE HOUSE.
The privilege of visiting Vogue House was a lifelong dream fulfilled, not only through the workshops, but also due to the anticipatory magic of Edward Enninful’s book release and press for “A Visible Man” happening on the same week. Despite not quite fitting into the meticulously polished, white button-down, blue jeans, trench coat and gold-hooped clean girl clone I had encountered during fashion school, I knew Vogue House would welcome me with open arms, or pages, in this case. I am not a “clean girl”, and never will be that type of girl. Instead, I arrived at Vogue House in black suede boots from 5 years ago, ripped fishnets, an olive-green ribbed jersey skater dress freshly purloined from my mother’s closet from 2014, and a black denim jacket featuring the lion crest of Machine Head. Adorned with black shimmering eyeshadow smoked up to my eyebrows and kohl-rimmed eyes with copious amounts of highlighter and blood-red lipstick courtesy of Revolution Beauty, my look was completely inappropriate for such holy ground, I know. But the draw of Vogue House was that unilateral acceptance, that “you belong here and this place is rightfully yours and you deserve it”. The sheer blood, sweat and tears in every nook and cranny of the building, but also present in the faces of the speakers and aides. The true spirit of Condé Nast Publications.
THE COMPLETE ANTITHESIS OF THE "CLEAN GIRL" CLONE- VOGUE HOUSE IS A PLACE NOT ONLY OF ACCEPTANCE BUT OF SELF-EXPLORATION AND EXPERIMENTATION TOO.
As Condé Nast Publications is shifting from Vogue House to the Adelphi Building, it is only logical that Condé Nast College relocates too, to its new headquarters in Bedford Square, ironically a stone’s throw from my current University and our date night spot, the British Museum. But a part of my heart will always reside on the top floor of the Greek Street campus in Soho, arriving 20 minutes early, partly devoured McMuffin in hand, ready to begin researching the newest trends in the library, with my darling husband on the phone. Condé Nast for me, is therefore not just a publishing house, but a strengthener, of both relationships and of careers, and I am eternally appreciative of Vogue House for shaping me into the writer I am today.”
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