A rough translation (courtesy of Google translation-so sorry for the mistakes) from the article above:
Eugenie Trochu, a relentless intern at the number one of Vogue France
PORTRAIT // Without a network, or even a master's degree in hand, intern Eugénie Trochu had succeeded in integrating Vogue Paris. Ten years later, she signed her first issue at the head of the famous fashion magazine. Exclusive meeting with this 32-year-old journalist who wants to change the image of French women.
“I was malleable. I arrived first and left last. “From her debut at Vogue Paris, EugénieTrochu was fierce. She ends up being spotted. One day, he was offered to write for the paper magazine. “I had been writing for the web for four years, this proposal was crazy! "
That evening, its editor drags on leaving. She remains crouched behind her desk. Objective: to make him read the article directly. “At the time, I was sitting at the end, over there [she points to the back of the open space from her new office, Editor's note]. The young recruit waits 10 pm. He finally leaves his office. She shows him her paper and Bingo! It's validated.
Eugenie Trochu knows how to score points. “I can be convincing and I think that's what appeals to people. There is no doubt that this persuasive force was decisive when she applied for an internship in the temple of fashion. We are then in 2010, she has no network or experience in the press. She is taking a master's degree in literature at the Sorbonne and, aggravating circumstance, “I came from the provinces”. This offer to Vogue turns the head of the young Normande, who forgets her first dream: to become a journalist specializing in horse riding. “I was passionate about fashion. In high school already, I always wore impossible looks, cowboy boots with pink fur, ”she says, laughing.
At the interview, she caught the eye and landed this internship at Vogue U.S. correspondence in Paris. The recruiter loves her rock look, her torn tights, her very good English. “Above all, I had been a waitress, worked in a nightclub and I had this passion for horses. I had a 'resourceful' profile. A jack-of-all-trades cap that works well for the handyman's job.
Eugenie Trochu must now organize diaries as well as bring back cafes or find accessories that cannot be found in the French capital, absolutely "essential" for the next shoot. She then assumes more or less one of these roles of assistant "Swiss Army Knife" caricatured (or not) in the film "The devil wears Prada" who shouts to meet the demands of the powerful Anna Wintour, high priestess of fashion, at the helm of American Vogue since 1988.
Ten years later, Eugénie Trochu has climbed all the ranks. Anna Wintour is now her N + 2. It was she who propelled the 32-year-old director of editorial content for Vogue for France. Eugenie Trochu had previously met her at fashion week shows but remained in the shadow of her then editor-in-chief. But everything accelerated a month and a half ago, when the young employee received an email from the boss's assistant: "Anna wants to talk to you in half an hour". "I dropped my pen," remembers Eugenie Trochu.
The autonomy of the magazine and its boss in question
Thanks to a reorganization, Anna Wintour wants to replace the Editor-In-Chief in Paris and seeks to better know the potential replacements. During the interview, Eugénie Trochu plays her spontaneity that she knows to be her trump card in an environment that is said to be crowded. “I made her laugh, I told her where I came from and my passion for the horse. We hardly talked about fashion. "
Then comes the time for her vision for the future of Vogue Paris. Eugenie Trochu insists on one point: to show a more accessible fashion and to open the magazine to the province, where 70% of the readers come (and especially readers). Her first idea: to remove “Paris” which has been housed in the “O” of Vogue since September 1951.
Anna Wintour bought the idea. Since the promotion, the two women regularly send messages on WhatsApp. “Anna is almost a friend,” smiles the young manager. She is always available if I have a problem. It's true that it's an icon and like all icons, it's scary, but when you get to know them, you realize that they are people like everyone else. "
The boss of Vogue makes the choice to promote a nugget formed internally. Some would say that after a social plan targeting fifty positions, wanted by Condé Nast, owner of the Vogue brand, this appointment is a way to save yourself a big salary, often attached to external recruitment.
Others will say that embracing a young talent will facilitate the putting under supervision of the Parisian magazine by the Vogue U.S. Eugenie Trochu has also lost the title of editor-in-chief. Internally, we retort that this changes nothing that like all European Vogue, the French magazine now reports to the sole editor, Edward Enninful at the head of Vogue British.
Eugenie Trochu prefers to point out that in addition to paper, she gains the direction of digital content, proof of a change of epoch. “I was chosen because I was 'digital first', and that I had set up, with others, the new website and the Instagram account which has 8.2 million followers. "
Certainly, her strength of character and tenacity in a difficult environment (which she confides in having wanted to leave several times) ended up paying off. “She works night and day,” writes Sophie Fontanel, novelist and fashion journalist. “Since I have known her, Eugenie has only been working. Nonstop. I've never seen someone so dedicated to their job, ”adds Alexandra Vanhoutte, founder of Tag Walk, a search engine to find models or trends by keywords on her Instagram account.
In this tumult, Eugénie Trochu confides not having founded a family. But she assures her, the frantic pace of the magazine has nothing to do with this choice. “You shouldn't be afraid of having children as long as you are surrounded by good people. I have a team that is like family. Almost all of us arrived as writing interns. We trained together. They trust me, I trust them. "
Vogue Paris becomes Vogue France
And then, Eugénie Trochu returns to her origins, like a tune. “In the fashion world, not coming from Paris has long been considered a weakness. It is today a force. "And to add:" The provincials have this openness, this simplicity, we are more accessible, "she believes. She now wants Vogue to speak more in Marseille, Lille or Nantes. This is why if the magazine has lost "Paris" in its title, it has gained the word "France" for a few days.
In a magazine that has not always had the reputation of being the most inclusive, Eugenie Trochu hears about all the women, thin and round, white and of color. She remains marked by the confidence, a few years ago, made by a friend of Asian origin: "I do not recognize myself in your magazine". The first issue of the Trochu era, to be released on November 4, will feature Aya Nakamura on the cover. Message received.
“I want to change the image of French women so that everyone recognizes themselves. Aya Nakamura is a personality who speaks to everyone. Here, she has been transformed: she is chic while remaining herself, an accessible figure who embodies the French woman. "
The bet of accessible chic
This desire for openness will speak to the new generation, but one can wonder about the fact of wanting to make fashion accessible when the pages extol bags and clothes that sell at four or five figures.
But Eugenie Trochu assumes: “my content will be elegant, chic and accessible, everyone will be able to navigate with pages devoted to trends at low prices. “At the risk of losing the dream of luxury fashion? “It would be horrible to say that the dream is only in elitism. "