Origins of W, under Fairchild Fashion Media, 1972–1999 W Magazine origins lie as a biweekly newspaper, which was spun off from ''Women's Wear Daily'', becoming an oversized monthly magazine published by
Fairchild Fashion Media in 1993. When Fairchilds' owner (
Capital Cities/ABC) merged with
The Walt Disney Company in 1997,
W was one of the publications the new company continued to publish.
Under Condé Nast, 1999–2019 W has garnered controversy over some of the featured models in its issues. Controversial cover shoots include
Steven Meisel's entitled "
Asexual Revolution", in which male and female models (including
Jessica Stam and
Karen Elson) are depicted in gender-bending styles and provocative poses. In addition,
Tom Ford's racy shoot with Klein and the accompanying article on sexuality in fashion came as a shock to some loyal readers. During the interview, Ford is quoted as saying: "I've always been about
pansexuality. Whether I'm sleeping with girls or not at this point in my life, the clothes have often been
androgynous, which is very much my standard of
beauty".
Bruce Weber produced a 60-page tribute to
New Orleans in the April 2008 issue, and shot a 36-page story on the newest fashion designers in
Miami for the July 2008 issue. Editor-in-Chief
Patrick McCarthy retired in 2010 when Condé Nast moved
W into its consumer magazine group, now alongside
Vogue,
Glamour and
Allure.
Edward Enninful was appointed Fashion & Style Director in 2011. In 2011,
W participated in a four-episode plot line on the
fourth season of
CW teen drama
Gossip Girl. Under Enninful's direction,
W introduced riskier editorial features, including the March 2012 cover story by
Steven Klein that depicted
Kate Moss as a nun and
Nicki Minaj portraying an 18th-century French courtesan. Between 2013 and 2018 the magazine went from publishing twelve issues per year to eight. This would later be reduced to four in 2020, raise to six from 2021, and W currently publishes seven issues a year 2024.
Under Future Media, 2019–2020 In 2018,
W became one of three publications Condé Nast put up for sale in the face of significant financial losses that forced it to adopt a series of cost-cutting measures. By 2019, it was acquired by Future Media, in a deal the
New York Post estimated at $7 million. In June 2019,
Sara Moonves was named as the publications first female editor-in-chief, succeeding
Stefano Tonchi. Under Moonves's editorship, the magazine underwent a major transition. By 2020, she announced to staff that many were being furloughed and that those who work on online content would be staying on at reduced salaries. The new
W team finished the biggest Best Performances issue ever. In the first week of January 2020,
W launched nine covers, and a 76-page celebrity portfolio covering 29 celebrities and 20 videos. Moonves was kept as editor-in-chief. ==International editions==