The media hoopla surrounding Katie Grand’s LOVE Magazine must surely irk the powers that be at POP the title Grand previously helmed. Perhaps with that in mind Bauer Media (Pop’s parent publishing company) have announced a rather surprising and potentially polarizing choice as Grand’s successor – Russian socialite Dasha Zhukova who to this date has no magazine experience whatsoever.
If that name sounds familiar Zhukova is best known as the former mistress and current fiance of Roman Abramovich the Russian Billionaire and owner of Chelsea Football Club. Combined with the fact that her father Alexander Zhukov was a Russian Oligarch and it comes as no surprise that Dasha bought the last Balmain collection in its entirety, and managed to snag the Editor-In-Chief position with little to no experience. Nepotism it seems, has reared its ugly head again, but that’s nothing new in the publishing world.
Zhukova who also runs her own clothing label “Kova & T” and founded The Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture in Moscow won’t be doing it alone however, with assistance from an “Editorial Board” of creatives including: Pop founder Ashley Heath, Daphne Guinness, Sam Taylor-Wood, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Alice Rawsthorn, Peter Saville and Rebecca Wilson.
†I am tremendously excited to take on this challenge,’ Dasha said. †I feel it’s the perfect time to be showcasing and encouraging new energy and talent. I have always admired POP for its visual vibrancy. Extending its remit for a new era is a stimulating project for myself and the new team. We are working hard on a complete revamp of the magazine in order to provide a broader point of view focusing also on art, contemporary culture and the globalisation of all things pop-related.’
Via Grazia
