At the time of its launch, several talented staff members were sent from overseas to convey Vogue's global philosophy, "Vogue is Vogue," to the Japanese staff. The launch, with a mixed team of foreign and Japanese staff, was a success, typical of Vogue. As several goals were achieved, momentum gradually grew to shift from foreign leadership to Japanese leadership. The first step was to replace the fashion director. British journalist Kim Stringer left the company for personal reasons, and after a domestic and international search, Kaori Tsukamoto*, who has a deep understanding of the Japanese market, was appointed fashion director.

Three years into the magazine's history, it was time to hand over the reins to a strong leader capable of developing a Vogue Nippon by Japanese people, for Japanese people.

Kazuhiro Saito, who had a profound impact on the publishing industry and the market as editor-in-chief of "Brutus" and "Casa Brutus" at Magazine House, was appointed president of Nikkei Condé Nast in 2001. The most important factor in selecting him was his ability to propose and develop new business ideas from the media to the fashion world. A year later, in January 2002, Nikkei Newspaper withdrew from the company, and Nikkei Condé Nast changed its name to Condé Nast Publications Japan (now Condé Nast Japan). With the start of creating a magazine that would reach Japanese readers directly, the new president began overhauling the staff. Creative Director Debbie Smith, who had played a key role in mentoring Vogue is Vogue since the launch of Vogue Nippon, returned to Japan and disbanded the design team she had led. Furthermore, President Saito began to take on editorial responsibilities and appointed a rare male editor-in-chief in Vogue's history. He entrusted the AD role to Yasushi Fujimoto of CAP, a familiar face from his days at Heibonsha, and reorganized the design team. During Saito's tenure, Mitsuko Watanabe, the current editor-in-chief of Vogue Japan, continued to support him. At the time, she was the fashion feature director, responsible for the fashion publications. "Saito wanted Vogue to be a magazine that would surprise readers with every issue. He particularly sought surprise with the cover design and copy," says Watanabe. The aim of the relaunch was to create an impactful, original Japanese concept in Vogue Nippon, strongly inspiring the fashion industry and readers and raising awareness of Vogue Nippon. This strategy took priority over increasing circulation. This drastic reform was possible only because of the confidence that circulation would naturally increase with increased visibility. Saito's reforms attracted the attention of advertisers, and by the third year, clients who had been cautious about the magazine's development had decided to place ads in Vogue. This led to a rapid increase in advertising.

As part of an urban plan to turn Omotesando into a district for adults, megastores for luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Prada were built one after another. In the mid-2000s, society was in the midst of a frenzy reminiscent of the dot-com bubble and the eve of the collapse of the bubble in the 1990s.

*Tsukamoto Kaori is currently the editor-in-chief of Hearst Fujingaho's ELLE Japon.

Continued on 5/12.