The menswear media panorama is shifting quickly amid a collection of exits, and unresolved questions, within the U.Okay. and internationally.
Earlier this week Alex Bilmes hosted his ultimate Christmas lunch as editor in chief of Esquire U.Okay. After 14 years within the position, he plans to depart in March as Hearst U.Okay. hunts for his successor.
In accordance with Katie Vanneck-Smith, CEO of Hearst U.Okay., Bilmes made the choice to step down with a view to pursue writing initiatives exterior the Hearst universe.
In a press release, she thanked Bilmes for “diligently steering the helm” of the title, and mentioned that below his editorship, Esquire U.Okay. has delivered numerous exclusives “and innovated throughout all platforms. We’re extraordinarily grateful for Alex’s contributions and want him each success for the longer term.”
Bilmes, a well-respected determine, joined Esquire in 2011. Throughout his tenure he wrote profiles of figures together with Tony Blair, Paul McCartney, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Craig, Michael Caine and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
His departure comes within the wake of massive layoffs at Hearst within the U.S. which had been introduced simply earlier than Thanksgiving.
Dylan Jones
Picture Courtesy of Condé Nast and Richard Younger/REX
Almost 200 positions at Hearst are set to be culled as the corporate “reallocates assets to higher help” its objectives, in keeping with WWD’s sister publication The Hollywood Reporter.
Bilmes’ exit comes only a few weeks after Dylan Jones, the longtime editor in chief of British GQ, stepped down from his newest job as head of The London Normal newspaper, previously The Night Normal.
Jones, who plans to spend extra time on writing initiatives, can also be within the working to interchange Caroline Rush as chief govt officer of the British Vogue Council, in keeping with trade sources.
The transfer can be a simple one. Throughout his time at GQ, Jones served as chairman of the London Vogue Week Males’s showcase which, till COVID-19, occurred twice a yr, in January and June. Rush will depart her position in June 2025 and her successor is ready to be named early within the new yr.
In different areas of menswear media, GQ China stays on ice following a break up from its native accomplice, Zhizu Journal, a subsidiary of China Information Service, a state-owned information company based mostly in Beijing.
GQ China was initially launched as a partnership between Condé Nast China and Zhizu in 2009, however the relationship between the 2 companions grew more and more uneasy over time, in keeping with former GQ workers.
Gill Zhou, managing director of Condé Nast China who brokered the native GQ deal, stepped down this week after a bit greater than two years within the position. The information was revealed throughout a company-wide, inside assembly on Wednesday morning, sources conversant in the matter advised WWD.
In September Pierre M’Pelé abruptly left GQ France after a three-year tenure as head of editorial content material.
As reported, M’Pelé was changed by Claire Hazan, a journalist and producer who was beforehand head of podcasts at Spotify for France and Benelux.
Beforehand, Hazan had spent a decade within the Lagardère media group overseeing the editorial technique and digital transformation of publications resembling cinema journal Première and Europe 1.