Vogue Italia's "Black Issue" A Hot Seller!
Apparently, there's a seriously high demand for the current issue of Vogue Italia's so-called "Black Issue" - which I'm assuming you all know something about. I posted an entry all about it which you can read here: VOGUE: THE BLACK ISSUE.The issue went on sale in the US last week Friday, and has been flying off store shelves - surpassing expectations! Who knew that there would be this much interest in seeing black models dominate an issue of an influential fashion mag like Vogue? Or are these buyers simply "investors" wanting to own the issue that some are saying could become a collectors item in a few years, making it much more valuable than its current likely sub-$20 price tag?
As stated on WWD.com: ... Fashionistas evidently hurried to newsstands across New York City to get their hands on the July Italian Vogue featuring all black models. By 10 a.m., Universal News on 58th Street and Eighth Avenue... had already sold 50 copies. Hudson News in Grand Central Station sold 20 copies by 11 a.m. By noon, Universal News on 56th Street and Lexington Avenue had sold its last issue, and the one on 14th Street near Sixth Avenue had sold over 100 copies, with a few more left to move... A spokeswoman for Condé Nast (Vogue's publisher) said the company increased newsstand distribution of the special issue by 40 percent in the U.S... The company will also print another 10,000 copies to meet the demand for the issue!
I'm actually really curious who all these people are buying it. Are these black women or Vogue's already existing audience, which, I'm guessing is made up predominantly of white middle to upper middle class women? Remember this is the Italian Vogue, not the Vogue that most readers here in America are familiar with. I'm not even sure if it's printed in English!
SOURCE: A BLACK ISSUE AT WWD.COM
For some reason I could dare less about this. What does it really mean anyway? What is it really going to do for the industry going forward? I haven't seen the issue and probably won't, unless someone I know happens to have it on their coffee table.
Was in an indie bookstore today and a well dressed, sixty to sixty-five year old brotha stepped in actively asking for a copy of the mag.
By my estimation, he'd ever purchased a copy of Vogue in his LIFE. There you have it =)
Albertine - Send all your questions to Andre Leon Talley :o)
Barry - Cool! Must have been Melvin Van Peebles, although he's over 70 now though. By the way, shouldn't you be writing your second masterpiece :o)
I went to the news stand today to buy...$16.50 in Brentwood! After my initial "holy sh*t!" I passed, hoping I could find it cheaper at b
Borders.
Even if I don't find it cheaper, I know I'll buy it eventually, and I haven't bought Vogue in years.
I've never bought Vogue before but thought I'd buy this issue for posterity.
On July 1st I went to the outlet of a large UK retail outlet in Waterloo station, London, and suprisingly, given that most issues hit the stands two weeks before the month starts, couldn't find the July Italian issue. But when I asked an assistant, he told me there had been over 400 enquiries about the 'black issue.'
Still haven't got a copy, but we'll see...