In Fashion Media, 'Church and State' Dissolves

In theory, fashion magazines have always adhered to the “church and state” divide, meaning the commercial and editorial arms of a publishing house were kept separate to protect the editorial independence of its reporting. In reality, the boundary has been blurred for some time.

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Most newspapers package up their fashion content in a supplement, an often-weekly magazine sold as part of the overall paper. But fashion supplements, whose interviews, trend pieces and articles are typically punctuated with advertisements for major fashion and luxury companies, are sometimes regarded as a “cash-cow” for the main publication, and less committed to a journalistic code of ethics.

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This year, Condé Nast launched 23 Stories, a new division dedicated to creating content for advertisers, which enrols editors from its publications to do so.  

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“It’s funny, the lines are so blurred now that we can do a post endorsing something we love just because we love it, and readers will sometimes say, ‘Nice sponsored post guys,’” says Stella Bugbee. “I think readers don’t trust anyone anymore."

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