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Rocco Liu (Liu Chong), has been named editorial director of Vogue in China, Condé Nast announced on Thursday. The role was last held by Margaret Zhang, who announced her departure from the publication in February after three years at the helm.
Liu is currently the editorial director of GQ in China. He joined the publication in 2009, serving first as a copyright editor for the newly launched publication until 2016. In 2017, Liu took over digital content creation at the publication, becoming acting editorial director in 2020 prior to officially receiving the title in 2021. He was responsible for both print and digital as well as commercial content.
Liu has been credited with leading the publication’s digital transformation in addition to creating GQ Lab, a popular and profitable WeChat account. Additionally, he has overseen high-profile tentpole events including GQ’s Men of the Year in the region and the creation of the GQ video team in China. “GQ is a global name, but here in China, we've put our own spin on it,” Liu said in an interview earlier this year. “We’ve gone beyond just fashion tips to really diving into what it means to live a fuller, more vibrant life. GQ Lab, our WeChat public account, epitomises this transition, engaging audiences with creative content across multiple platforms. It’s about creating content that speaks directly to our audience, making sure we’re not just another magazine, but a part of their daily lives.”
“I have long admired everything Rocco has done at GQ,” said Anna Wintour, chief content officer at Condé Nast and editor in chief and global editorial director of Vogue, in a statement. “He has great instincts for creating stories that live on new platforms, that find new audiences, and for imagining events that get people talking. In all the work he’s done with us, he’s been super creative, ambitious and has proven that he knows how to make an impact. I’m thrilled and excited that he’s joining the Vogue team.”
The announcement of Liu as editorial director comes after months of speculation on who would succeed Zhang. Zhang’s appointment in 2021 was highly scrutinised due to her age (she was 27, the youngest top editor at Vogue), her online presence as a blogger and occasional influencer, and her upbringing in Australia. Her departure from the role was just as discussed online, with readers both celebrating her cinematic editorial eye and closely inspecting her commercial and business choices.
Zhang’s appointment charted a path forward for the publication in China, her digital savviness and close relationships with young artists, celebrities, and taste-makers helping bring the publication into this URL-first, multiplatform era. Zhang developed fundamental relationships with the next generation of fashion talents in China, supporting emerging designers in the region both on the pages of the magazine and through the launch of the Vogue China Fashion Fund, which kicked off its second edition earlier this year in March. The editor also oversaw the first iteration of Vogue’s Forces of Fashion conference in Shanghai last November.
Liu, a well-respected editor in the region, will usher in the next chapter for the title, where he will be responsible for the editorial direction of the brand across all platforms and events. Vogue in China currently reaches an audience of more than 34 million across its print, digital and social channels. The glossy is published under a copyright cooperation partnership.
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