Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz Exits Vogue Arabia

In a surprising move, it was announced today, April 13, that Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz has left Vogue Arabia, where the Saudi princess served as the editor-in-chief. According to the Business of Fashion, Condé Nast declined to comment and Nervora Publishing and Aljuhani Abdulaziz could not be reached for comment. As this story develops we might have a better understanding of what led Aljuhani Abdulaziz to leave her post after her July, 2016 appointment.
Before coming to Vogue Arabia, Aljuhani Abdulaziz founded the Riyadh and Doha member’s-only boutique D’NA, a luxe destination emporium. Aljuhani Abdulaziz told Farfetch about the creation of D’NA, saying, “We wanted to create a shopping and cultural experience that seamlessly bridges East and West through a shared appreciation for fashion, art and design.” Aljuhani Abdulaziz’s strategy to pair East and West fashion labels and designer visions helped establish her as an international fashion star, and made her an ideal choice for Vogue Arabia‘s editor-in-chief post.

Dubai-based publishing company Nervora launched Vogue Arabia in partnership with Condé Nast. The venture debuted with a dual-language website in Arabic and English last year, followed by a print edition in March. You might remember the March issue, which featured Gigi Hadid, shot by Inez and Vinoodh wearing a veil, which stirred up international controversy. Inside the magazine, Hadid wore a more traditional hijab, which upset people around the world, as Hadid is not Muslim, and a hijab is not a fashion statement.

Gigi Hadid: Half-Palestinian but not Muslim.
Vogue: Lets make Gigi Hadid wear a hijab because she’s half- Palestinian so it’s justified. pic.twitter.com/z1MdoAlNmp
— CHANEL (@starIoki) March 2, 2017
Following the Hadid issue, the April issue of Vogue Arabia featured Imaan Hammam, a Dutch model of Egyptian and Moroccan descent on the cover.
A post shared by Imaan Hammam (@imaanhammam) on Apr 2, 2017 at 11:38am PDT
Vogue Arabia‘s entree into the Middle-Eastern market has been a long time coming, and according to the same Business of Fashion news brief, a new unidentified editor-in-chief has already been appointed.

About the author

Jill Di Donato

Fashion Editor

Jill is a New York native who holds a BA in Literature from Barnard College, and an MFA in writing from Columbia University. She is the author of the novel Beautiful Garbage (She Writes Press, 2013) about the downtown Manhattan art and fashion scene in the 1980s. A former staff writer for The Huffington Post and Bustle, Jill comes to Culture Trip after working with Refinery 29, Vice, Salon, Paste Style, Los Angeles Times, Nylon, Shopify, Autre, and producing content for emerging fashion labels. She teaches classes about fashion and culture at Barnard College and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Her prized possessions are her Gucci fanny pack, vintage rocker t-shirts, and her grandmother's collection of costume jewelry. She's always on the lookout for a gem-encrusted turban.

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