Two years ago, when Condé Nast announced that Margaret Zhang would be the next editor in chief of Vogue China, many in the fashion media were taken aback.

兩年前，當康泰納仕宣布章凝將成為中國版《Vogue》的下一任主編時，許多時尚媒體都大吃一驚。

For one thing, at just 27, Ms. Zhang was the youngest ever editor in chief of a Vogue title. For another, there was her unorthodox multi-hyphenate résumé as a photographer, consultant, filmmaker, model and social media influencer — with almost no magazine experience. Then there was the fact that Ms. Zhang, who was born to Chinese immigrant parents in Sydney, was an Australian who had never lived in mainland China.

首先，當時只有27歲的章凝是Vogue雜誌有史以來最年輕的主編。其次，她有著非同尋常的多重履歷，做過攝影師、顧問、電影製作人、模特和社群媒體網紅——但幾乎沒有做雜誌的經驗。還有一個事實是，章凝的父母是雪梨的華人移民，她是澳洲人，從未在中國大陸生活過。

Her appointment was a considerable gamble for Condé Nast, and specifically for its global chief content officer, Anna Wintour. China was, and is, a cornerstone of the luxury fashion market, responsible for billions of dollars of sales. It is an economic superpower with a complicated relationship with the West, and a place where censorship of the press is common.

她的任用對康泰納仕集團來說是一場相當大的賭博，尤其是對全球首席內容官安娜·溫圖爾而言。中國過去和現在都是奢侈時尚市場的基石，能創造數十億美元的銷售額。它是一個與西方關係複雜的經濟超級大國，也是一個新聞審查制度普遍存在的地方。

It is also one of the most populous countries in the world (about 1.4 billion people), whose nationalism is helping reshape consumer culture and the retail landscape. Some Western fashion brands have faced strong reactions after angering the government over moves involving Xinjiang cotton or Taiwan.

中國也是世界上人口最多的國家之一（約14億人），其民族主義正在重塑消費文化和零售格局。一些西方時尚品牌涉及新疆棉花或台灣的舉動激怒了政府，引發了強烈反應。

Angelica Cheung, the founding editor of Vogue China, held the position for 15 years. Its next editor would need to have an ambitious vision, formidable connections and commercial and diplomatic savvy — a challenge for someone twice, or even three times, Ms. Zhang’s age and experience, let alone a foreigner.

中國版《Vogue》的創始主編張宇擔任該職位長達15年。它的下一任主編需要有雄心勃勃的願景、強大的人脈，以及商業和外交頭腦——這對年齡和經驗是章凝兩倍甚至三倍的人來說都是挑戰，更不用說她是個外國人了。

How would it feel to step into a job like that, knowing how many people expect you to fail?

知道有那麼多人不看好你，接手這樣的工作是什麼感覺？

In Soho during London Fashion Week last month, Ms. Zhang, now 29, paused for a moment when asked that question. Petite, and currently with electric blue hair (she defines the periods of her life with its hues), she has been able to travel freely for shows since China lifted its strict lockdown earlier this year.

上個月倫敦時裝週期間，在Soho，現年29歲的章凝在被問到這個問題時停頓了一下。她身材嬌小，目前的發色是電光藍（她用顏色來定義她生命中的各個時期），自從今年早些時候中國解除嚴格的封鎖以來，她已經能夠自由旅行，出席活動。

“I don’t mind people underestimating me,” Ms. Zhang said. “And I actually say that to people who look to me for guidance on how they can be taken seriously.”

「我不介意別人低估我，」章凝說。「實際上，一些人想從我這裡得到指導，想知道如何才能被認真對待，我就是這樣告訴他們的。」

She added with a grin: “It’s actually better when people underestimate you. Then you can prove them wrong. It’s all the more satisfying.”

她笑著說：「實際上，人們低估你更好。然後你可以證明他們是錯的。這樣更有滿足感。」

Ms. Zhang’s first issue, in September 2021, was called “New Beginnings” and was produced during quarantine by a group of women, including a little-known photographer, Hailun Ma. It featured a 19-year-old dance student from Beijing Sport University on the cover. Since then, Ms. Zhang, who now lives in Beijing, has continued plotting her vision for Vogue and what it can represent in 21st-century China.

章凝主編的第一期雜誌是2021年9月刊，被稱為「新篇章」，由一群女性在隔離期間製作，其中包括一位鮮為人知的攝影師馬海倫。封面是北京體育大學一名19歲的舞蹈系學生。從那以後，現居北京的章凝一直在規劃她對《Vogue》的願景，以及它在21世紀的中國能代表什麼。

Her handle on Instagram, where she has 1.8 million followers, does not say “editor in chief”; instead, it says “Film Director.” (She is working on a screenplay.) Little surprise, then, that one of her most high-profile projects is Vogue Film, a platform to support Chinese women in film. To date, it has produced 11 short films.

她在有180萬粉絲的Instagram上並沒有自稱「主編」；相反，簡介上寫的是「電影導演」。（她正在寫一個劇本。）因此，「Vogue Film」成為她最知名的項目之一也就不足為奇了，這是一個支持中國電影界女性的平台。迄今為止，它已經製作了11部短片。

Then there is Vogue Open Casting, an annual model scouting program that will go worldwide this year, and the Chinese Craftsmanship Initiative, which facilitates collaborations between international designers, local design talent and traditional Chinese craft communities. Ms. Zhang has also spearheaded a mentorship program pairing rising Chinese designers with international names, like Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino.

然後是「你好新面孔」，這是一項年度模特招募計劃，今年將在全球範圍內開展；還有「留住手工藝」項目，旨在促進國際設計師、本地設計人才和中國傳統手工藝社區之間的合作。章凝還帶頭開展了一項導師計劃，將中國新興設計師與范倫鐵諾的皮爾保羅·皮喬利等國際知名設計師配對。

Ms. Zhang’s magazine covers and the content inside are striking, rooted in bold saturated color and the candid style that initially found her fame as an influencer. A September 2022 digital cover series explored fashion’s collision with the metaverse; the splashy cover of the December 2022 issue, photographed by Ms. Zhang, featured the supermodel Liu Wen.

章凝的雜誌封面和內容醒目搶眼，植根於大膽的飽和色彩和直率的風格，這正是她當初成為知名網紅的原因。2022年9月的數字封面系列探討了時尚與元宇宙的碰撞；章凝拍攝的2022年12月刊封面色彩艷麗，封面模特是超模劉雯。

In China, male movie stars and influencers — known locally as KOLs — are often more popular than their female counterparts. Last month’s cover of the movie star Jackson Yee, in a modern interpretation of traditional Beijing Opera character that incorporated current-season fashion, was Vogue China’s first solo male cover star.

在中國，男性電影明星和網紅——在當地被稱為KOL——通常比女性同行更受歡迎。上個月的封面是電影明星易烊千璽，他對傳統京劇角色進行���現代詮釋，並融入當季時尚元素，是《Vogue》中國版首位單獨出鏡的男性封面明星。

“When Margaret was hired, we were all very surprised,” said Emma Zhang (no relation to Margaret), a fashion director of Gusto Collective, which helps Western luxury brands navigate expansions in Asia. “But it is clearer now, when Generation Z is such a priority consumer, why they wanted someone with a younger perspective and visual style. Her approach is different from what came before. Many see it as a breath of fresh air.”

「當章凝被聘用時，我們都非常驚訝，」幫助西方奢侈品牌在亞洲擴張的Gusto Collective時裝總監艾瑪·張（音）說。「但現在更清楚了，如今Z世代在消費群體中具有如此高的優先度，他們想要一個具有更年輕視角和視覺風格的人。她的方法與以往不同。許多人把它當作一縷新鮮空氣。」

It is a digital native approach that feels, to many in the fashion industry and elsewhere, young and experimental. There is a spotlight on emerging talent, while still revering aspects of Chinese heritage at a time of growing appreciation among many consumers for the country’s cultural history.

對於時尚界和其他地方的許多人來說，這種數字原生代做法感覺年輕且具有實驗性。它關注後起之秀，同時在許多消費者日益欣賞中國文化歷史之際，保持對中國傳統各個方面的崇尚。

China is so vast that Ms. Zhang, who runs a team of 50, said the magazine must produce significantly more content than Vogue editions in other countries. Every social media audience matters — whether Weibo, Douyin (China’s version of TikTok) or the shopping platform Little Red Book — and has different requirements.

中國是個龐大的國家，負責管理50人團隊的章凝說，中國版雜誌的內容必須要比《Vogue》在其他國家的版本多得多。無論是微博、抖音還是購物平台小紅書，每個社群媒體受眾都很重要，也都有不同的需求。

Print magazines, she said, are viewed more as coffee-table collectibles than disposable monthly compilations of runway trends or glitzy events. But she also has international markets in her sights, including the Chinese diaspora across the world.

她說，紙質雜誌更像咖啡桌上的擺件，而不是閱後即棄的T台流行趨勢或時尚活動彙編。但她也將目光投向國際市場，包括世界各地的華僑。

In the past year and a half, she said, Vogue had repositioned itself as a cultural bridge — China to the world, the world to China.

她說在過去一年半中，《Vogue》將自己重新定位為一座文化橋樑，幫中國連接世界，讓世界通向中國。

Recently, Condé Nast has restructured its international operations, particularly how it syndicates content. Veteran names disappeared, replaced with a new generation handpicked by Ms. Wintour, who, unsurprisingly, speaks in glowing terms of Ms. Zhang.

最近，康泰納仕重組了國際業務，內容整合成為重中之重。老資歷人物退出，取而代之的是溫圖爾親自挑選的新一代。不出所料，溫圖爾對章凝讚不絕口。

“It was her digital fluency and knowledge of where fashion is headed that made Margaret stand out — her ability to speak to audiences wherever they are and to understand what’s relevant now,” Ms. Wintour wrote in an email.

「章凝之所以脫穎而出，靠得是她對數字行業的精通和對時尚趨勢的認知，她能與任何地方的受眾溝通，並理解當下的流行趨勢，」溫圖爾在一封電子郵件中寫道。

“She’s a global thinker who knows that exciting personalities, designers and stories from China can travel across borders. Most of all, she knows how to speak to young fashion obsessives wherever they are, because she is one herself.”

「她有全球視角，相信中國的先鋒人物、設計師和故事可以跨越國界。最重要的是，她懂得如何與痴迷時裝的年輕人交流——無論他們身在何處，因為她自己也是其中之一。」

Not everyone feels that way. Last January, Sophia Liao, the former boss of Condé Nast China (who sued the company for unfair dismissal), published a series of stinging articles on WeChat about the direction of the magazine and Ms. Zhang’s appointment, despite having had a hand in hiring her.

“It was really dangerous to have such a person be the editorial director of Vogue China,” Ms. Liao wrote. “Why? Because she has been growing up and living in Australia and overseas, her understanding of China is too superficial and limited.”

「到Vogue中國版主編的人選，為什麼我說挑選章凝會非常危險？」廖梅淳寫道。「因為她一直在澳洲和海外成長生活，她對中國的了解太過膚淺局限。」

Leaf Greener, a former Elle China fashion editor turned creative consultant, questioned whether Ms. Zhang was fluent enough in Mandarin to edit a magazine and said that many in the Chinese fashion industry remained skeptical. She asked whether a foreign point of view was what the Chinese market needed at this time.

曾在中國版《ELLE》擔任時裝編輯的創意顧問葉子(Leaf Greener)質疑章凝的中文水平是否足以編輯一份雜誌，並表示中國時尚界的許多人仍持懷疑態度。她想知道，當下的中國市場是否真的需要這樣的外國視角。

“Margaret is trying to break the rules and bring fresh content to the table,” Ms. Greener said in a phone call. “She has some good ideas and is supporting young local designers, but sometimes the execution is really not there. In order to succeed, she’s going to need to fix what I see as a major cover problem and aim for diverse as opposed to chaotic styling. I don’t think it is where it needs to be to be a world-class fashion magazine.”

「章凝正試圖打破常規，推陳出新，」葉子在接受電話採訪時表示。「她有些想法是很好的，也支持了年輕的本土設計師，但有時候是真沒什麼執行力可言。在我看來，要想取得成功，她得解決封面的大問題，尋求多樣化而不是混亂的風格。我覺得它還沒有到堪稱世界頂級時尚雜誌的地步。」

Ms. Zhang thinks her Mandarin skill is sufficient. (She conceded she speaks it rather formally, and lacks local colloquialisms but added that it had proved very useful for communicating with grandmothers in markets in Shanghai.) She also appears sanguine about naysayers, which she said she has grappled with her whole working life.

章凝相信自己的中文水平足以勝任。（她承認自己講話風格比較正式，掌握的口語不多，但同時也提到，事實證明她的普通話足以在上海的菜市場裡與老奶奶交流。）唱反調的人似乎並沒有影響到她的樂觀心態，她說自己在整個職業生涯裡都在與這些人作鬥爭。

“I would be lying if I said that this job or the task wasn’t intimidating,” she said. “But I’ve become used to being the youngest person in the room. Often, I’m also the most creative in a business room, or the most business-literate in a creative room. Basically, the odd one out. But two years in, I feel like everything that I’ve learned in my career, and all of my different threads of skills, strangely converge for this role.”

「要說這份工作或責任不令人戰戰兢兢，那我一定在撒謊，」她說。「但我已經習慣了是房間裡最年輕的那個人。通常我也是商務會上最有創意的那個，或是創意會上最懂商業的那個。基本上，我就是個另類。但兩年過去了，我覺得我在職業生涯中學到的所有東西，還有我的所有不同技能，都奇妙地匯聚在了這個角色中。」

Ms. Zhang is more reticent on topics like government censorship or the growing challenges of having money or status in China (usually core content for coverage in Vogue magazines outside China). The government is also cracking down on celebrity culture amid concern that it is poisoning the minds of the country’s youth — and that may be a reason to focus on emerging talent rather than the emerged.

對政府審查或中國有錢有勢階層所面臨的日益嚴峻的挑戰（往往是中國之外的各《Vogue》版本的報導核心），章凝的發言則較為審慎。中國政府仍在打擊名人文化，擔心它會毒害年輕人的思想——這可能也是她更注重後起之秀而非久負盛名者的一個原因。

But she also comes across as intelligent and curious, fizzing with opinions and pride — like a stage mom, she declared — that Fan Jinghan, her inaugural issue cover star, had walked for Burberry, and that the Chinese designer Susan Fang showed on the London schedule.

但她也給人以聰明和好奇的印象，她說自己就像個「舞台老媽」一樣，對她的首期封面明星范靖涵為Burberry走秀以及中國時裝設計師方妍楠登上倫敦時裝週興奮地點評並感到自豪。

The Vogue opportunity, Ms. Zhang said, “came out of the blue and was not in my life plan, and it meant a total recalibration of what my goals were.”

章凝說，《Vogue》的工作機會「突如其來，並不在我人生計劃之中，這意味著我要重新調整自己的目標」。

“I would always have wondered what this experience would have been like if I hadn’t grabbed it, so I did,” she added. “Plus, as I’m sure you can tell by now, I love a challenge.”

「如果沒有抓住機會，我肯定一直很好奇這番經歷是什麼樣子，於是我就去做了，」她補充道。「再說，我相信你現在也能看出來，我熱愛挑戰。」