Anna Wintour is a genius!
The fashion industry has seen some weird and wonderful collaborations throughout the years, but few have been as surprising as today’s announcement that high-fashion flagship magazine Vogue will partner with digital empire Vice on an intriguing new platform entitled Project Vs.
On the surface, it seems almost bizarre; one, an iconic publication embodying glitz and grace, the other a gritty, audacious media conglomerate with a predominantly millennial and male audience. But in a landscape in which even the largest media organisations fight tenaciously for market share, the move perfectly represents the boldness and courage that has made both companies so successful.
While the title of the project seems to have foreshadowed the bewildered response from each organisation’s audience, the goal seems to be highlighting what unifies them, rather than what sets them apart.
According to a Vogue article on the collaboration, Project Vs “will showcase the best of both Vogue and Vice—relevant and exciting storytelling from both brands on the issues, figures, and movements that matter”. Content will be released weekly over a 100-day period in early 2018, at the end of which it appears the site will shut down.
It will provide a “capsule commentary on the world we live in”, Vice Chief Commercial and Creative Officer Tom Punch announced in a statement, though the specific scope of this commentary seems likely to remain a secret for some time yet.
Project Vs was announced at Final Front, an Omincom Media Group event which helps establish and navigate brand alliances and connect those involved with advertising opportunities. Other unusual partnerships presented at this year’s event included NBCUniversal and Buzzfeed, as well as MTV and Shazam.
The project might seem strange now, but it serves as an early example of the future of brand collaboration. The tradition of developing content within a bubble before approaching partners on all levels is about to burst. That Anna Wintour and Shane Smith are some of the first to recognise and act upon this is probably the least surprising part of this whole endeavour!