Elaine Welteroth and Phillip Picardi (Photography: Ryan Liu and Richard Gerst)
After editrix Amy Astley departed Teen Vogue this spring, the glossy tapped editors Elaine Welteroth and Phillip Picardi to take the reins alongside creative director Marie Suter. We catch up!
What’s the dynamic between you both and Marie Suter?
Elaine: My mother has a saying, “Iron sharpens iron.” It’s the best way to describe our dynamic. We feed off of one another’s creativity, passion, ideas—and ultimately, we make one another stronger.
Phillip: We are genuine friends both in and outside of the office, which makes the work so much more rewarding. When I left Teen Vogue a couple of years ago, Elaine encouraged me to spread my wings, but offered one caveat: “We’re better together.” Marie is a true model for the both of us in how we rally our team. We know that whatever crazy thing we throw her way, she will find a way to make it chic.
How are you keeping digital-obsessed teens interested in print?
Elaine: For teens especially, being a part of a community is so important, and subscribing to a print title like Teen Vogue is like signing up for a club that serves you on a more personal level.
Phillip: We had to shift our content purpose to not just be a fashion brand. We speak to our reader at the various touchpoints of her life, and create content relevant to her beyond her wardrobe—from politics to back-to-school style to LGBTQ rights.
How does your content speak to them?
Elaine: We’re evolving to stay in step with readers’ interests. In the past year especially, we’ve become a destination for tackling social justice, sexual health, and race relations, right alongside relevant fashion, beauty, and entertainment coverage. We’ve managed to pivot without alienating hard-core fashion lovers because we celebrate how multidimensional they actually are.
How is Teen Vogue amping up its digital and social media presence?
Phillip: We recently surpassed 7.5 million unique visitors [to our site]. A year and a half ago, we produced 12 stories a day and now we vary between 50 and 70. We launched a Wellness vertical that focuses on sexual health and identity, gender expression, body image, and mental health. We’ve grown our social team, and we’ve produced over 200 videos this year, our biggest accomplishment by far.
And will the mag change it up going forward?
Phillip: Digitally, our priorities have shifted to focus more on the news cycle and matters that affect young women. You can expect to see so much more of these kinds of features in print, and we’re really pleased that this has already been a core part of TeenVogue.com’s mission.
Elaine: We want to be remembered for starting conversations that matter to our reader. Our first-ever “For Girls By Girls” September issue, which was shot exclusively by female photographers, is a shining example of that.
PLUS!! 4 Things You Don’t Know About Them
You current obsessions…
Elaine: Brother Vellies, Barre3, and weekend getaways to Martha’s Vineyard.
Phillip: My new mesh Stan Smiths, listening to Oprah’s What I Know For Sure on audiobook on the subway, the classes at Crossfit 212 which have weirdly turned me into a weightlifting-obsessed bro, Instagram’s new Stories, Juice Press’s Doctor Green Juice, and watching Sailor Moon on Hulu because I’m apparently 12.
What’s in your NYFW survival kit…
Phillip: RMS Living Luminizer, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Tatcha’s Blotting Papers, Consonant Skincare deodorant, and my Apple Watch.
Elaine: An iPhone mophie and a body double!
Your guilty pleasure…
Phillip: Nutella’s Grab ’n’ Go snack packs.
Elaine: Endless Snapchats and mandatory tapas between shows at Tía Pol
Describe your teenage self in three words…
Elaine: Hyperactive social butterfly.
Phillip: Overly tweezed & tanned.
