In a move that shocked the fashion media world, Ariel Foxman is exiting as editorial director of InStyle after eight years.
While the company is insisting that it was Foxman’s idea and that the move was voluntary, skepticism abounds.
While the move may have stopped short of a true ouster, there was growing discontent by both Foxman and the top brass in the rapidly changing world that is Time Inc. , sources said.
The company is expected to name an interim editor shortly, and Foxman will remain in the job until Aug. 4 as he finishes up the all-important September issue, typically the most ad-heavy of the year.
Insiders Angela Matusik, until recently an executive editor and since April the director of brand content strategy, and Lisa Arbetter, the editor-in-chief of the company’s Stylewatch magazine, are said to be under consideration for the interim editor position.
Foxman was close to Evelyn Webster, the executive VP who was in charge of InStyle and most of the monthly magazines in the Time Inc. stable — until she resigned amid last week’s corporate restructuring.
She had been gradually losing power to another EVP, Rich Battista, who joined Time Inc. just over a year ago to head the company’s most profitable magazine, People, as well as Entertainment Weekly.
Batttista also managed to have Sports Illustrated shuffled out of Webster’s group and added to his group earlier this year.
In the restructuring, Battista was made president and chief brand officer of all the magazines.
One Foxman ally insisted that the restructure was not the cause of the departure — but the change was one more signal that the old Time Inc. is undergoing big change.
It did not help that InStyle’s print edition seemed to be losing steam.
In April 2015, publisher Nina Lawrence was dismissed. It was not until August, four months later, that Patrick Connors was recruited from American Media’s Men’s Fitness to replace Lawrence.
That meant the crucial September issue was put together without a publisher — never a good idea.
Meanwhile, top brass were growing concerned about Foxman.
“There were issues for awhile,” said one insider. “The issue was around how much the job became about digital when his love and strength are print. The company is concerned about the digital properties attached to their legacy brands from a growth perspective.”
Foxman in a statement that accompanied the memo about his departure said. “With the close of our major September fashion issue and a recent print and digital redesign behind me, I’ve decided to explore new opportunities. I am grateful to Time Inc. and will always appreciate the incredibly talented team I’ve worked with over the years.”
