Media People: Pierre A. M’Pelé, Head of Editorial Content at GQ France
PARIS — You might have spotted his snappy emoji-based collection reviews on Instagram, or read his pithy 160-character fashion commentary on Twitter under the handle “@PAM_Boy,” but Paris-based journalist Pierre Alexandre M’Pelé has a lot more to say.
And he now has a whole magazine — print and digital platforms alike — to do it, having been named head of editorial content at GQ France last November, a position created as part of an ongoing turnaround at parent company Condé Nast.
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By the time M’Pelé, 28, graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2017 with a BA in fashion communication, he’d already racked up plenty of experience, working as an assistant on fashion shoots or moonlighting as a features editor for independent magazine Odda. “I got that fashion is this little bubble and that I needed to have a head start,” he said.
The 2016 launch of Instagram Stories was a turning point in his career.
In a bid to catch the ever-shortening attention of readers, the young journalist started using emojis as markers of his opinion, using an ear of corn for “corny collections”, a knife for “sharp tailoring” or medals to express exactly how good a look is. His community grew, with both fashion fans and OG insiders like Marc Jacobs.
Publications quickly slid into his DMs, attracted by his no-holds-barred approach, which includes publishing snippets of direct message conversations or emails — these eventually became the basis for Scrnsht, the self-published magazine he put out in 2018.
He’s contributed to Lo?c fashion week documentary features; worked closely with Katie Grand, first as a senior editor under her tenure at Love Magazine, and more recently as an editor at The Perfect Magazine, and freelanced for a host of publications.
That’s when Condé Nast came calling. GQ global editorial director Will Welch recalls M’Pelé bringing “a notebook full of innovative ideas” for the French edition that ran the gamut from print to experiences. “Frankly, the quality of his ideas blew me away, and as we continued to talk over Zoom and eventually in person, I was inspired by his,” the seasoned American editor wrote in an email.
The way M’Pelé puts it, the vision he shared with Welch and deputy global editorial director Adam Baidawi was to treat GQ France like a start-up and make it “the R&D department for other editions” where “if [ideas] work, they can be shared. If they don’t, next!”
With his second issue about to drop in newsstands, M’Pelé talked to WWD about that yellow Balenciaga couture coat on a French rugby player, why a global editorial approach works and why those who think he’s a token for any of the causes he’s passionate about — including social and racial equity and LGBTQ rights — or a sell-out for his new job can take a hike.
WWD: You’ve made a name for yourself and gathered a community around you for your frank opinions and strong views. Did you have any concerns about losing that independent streak?
Pierre A. M’Pelé: Frankly speaking, the role as head of editorial content I’ve been given at GQ France and Condé Nast is much bigger than myself, than existing independently. It’s an opportunity to open the door to many others, to talk about diversity, inclusivity — subjects that directly concern me, too.
There might be young Black men or members of the LGBT community who can [now] tell themselves “If I develop my own voice, this is possible. I, too, can get to a level where I’m respected and where I have the opportunity to give opportunities to others in turn.”
And that’s more important than what I did before, no matter how “free” I was then.
WWD: How do you see your mission as head of editorial content of GQ France?
P.A.M.: The first thing is that I see GQ as a brand, not just a magazine. So the first order of business is to revitalize and create a true community around this title: people who will be informal ambassadors of what [the magazine] stands for, through the features, the people we feature and have as contributors, the way we do events and who we do them with.
A community that’s open to all, even people we don’t see eye to eye on some topics. So far, that approach — thanks, of course, to the efforts of our whole team — is working because we have gone in a couple of months from 7 [million] to 10 million unique visitors to our website — the second largest after the American edition of GQ.
WWD: And then?
P.A.M.: In a nutshell, my job is about unifying print and digital. That’s the first step, because they didn’t speak to each other, which is traditionally the case in many newsrooms in France. I think there’s something cultural because, in the U.S. and other countries, that unification has been done for a number of years.
Then, from there, ensure that every other communication channel — video, social and even events — speaks with the same voice. To foster a clearer community for GQ because [previously], the magazine wasn’t speaking to the same person. Now, we want to be able to speak to multiple people, using both channels.
Thibault-Théodore/Courtesy of GQ France
WWD: Is that division a very French view on what “deserves” to be considered culture?
P.A.M.: It’s not snobbery but it’s old-fashioned. This is just my perception, but on the one hand, you had someone quite sophisticated, interested in culture, fashion and what’s happening in society reaching for the print issues, while digital readers were perhaps younger, more interested in content that [felt] less sophisticated and more influenced by pop culture — TV series, what happened on talk shows.
Print isn’t dying, but it needs to be considered for what it is: a tangible testimony of its time, with pop culture included. But digital also needs to be ready for longer reads — meatier features, investigations — and right now, that’s not the case.
WWD: What does the global approach mean, for your local audience?
P.A.M.: As Will [Welch] said, having completely separate editorial teams in each country is like a brand having one artistic director per territory — it makes no sense.
A global approach isn’t about reducing costs, it’s about supporting each other and circulating ideas to strengthen the message of GQ as a brand. And that doesn’t mean we’re neglecting local content.
These days, we don’t see a reader of GQ as being interested only in what’s happening near him geographically. He’d want to know about what’s happening elsewhere. And offering about something very French in the U.K. edition makes more sense than waiting for the reader to come to France and buy the local edition, assuming that he’d want to read in another language.
[Pushing the idea further], if a multilingual reader gets the same article in different languages, they can practice their “code-switching” [the ability to shift between languages, depending on context or conversational setting] because versions in different languages aren’t translations, they’re adaptations that take into account the cultural space in which the feature will be. It’s a richer experience for those readers, too.
WWD: Designer Spencer Phipps with a bloodied face, Antoine Dupont in a Balenciaga robe coat on the cover — how was your first issue received?
P.A.M.: Being a sports issue, the theme was decided prior to my arrival. I wanted to show its values and people who are maybe not the most famous but who best exemplify excellence and humility; real humans, too. That’s why we chose duos — siblings, cousins or longtime friends — training together; French rugby player Antoine Dupont, and [Egyptian professional soccer player, who plays for English Premiere League club Liverpool] Mohamed Salah, who was photographed for our global edition and covers.
As for Spencer, it felt important to show a true, unpolished moment instead of a [portrait] where he’d pose with his hands on his hips, looking proudly into the camera. He’s learning jiujitsu and [getting hurt] is a risk — that’s the truth. If you take it out of context [saying we glamorized violence], it’s hypocrisy, naivety or bad faith.
This is also part of how I approach my role at GQ France: We’re removing the filter between what we’re telling you and what’s actually happening. Even if some will try to build another narrative by taking them out of context. We as a publication can’t be responsible for that, but we will strive to always contextualize, and clarify if necessary.
WWD: Were any clarifications needed here?
P.A.M.: For Antoine [Dupont], some couldn’t get over his perceived femininity or had an inexplicable fixation on the robe’s yellow color. I even saw someone say they could find the same robe at Marks & Spencer — I don’t think so. It’s not just any yellow robe, it’s the yellow laminated leather robe from Balenciaga’s haute couture, the first collection in 50 years and by Demna.
Our mission is to reacclimate the GQ reader to high fashion, because there are plenty of men who aren’t aware of [this piece], Balenciaga and the history that comes with it. We want to put fashion — even couture — in the conversations around GQ, so that’s why it was a great [garment] for a couture choice.
We wanted a radical departure, so we took a calculated risk and stand by that choice. And what’s more, he stands by it, too. The minute Antoine Dupont said “I’m happy to have done this” and cosigned the Instagram post [on this image], I forgot all about the naysayers. I find it a great cover for GQ, and that’s a win in my book.
WWD: What topics will you be broaching?
P.A.M.: Broadly speaking, about a new vision of masculinity. Why the male identity must be accepted as multifaceted. What male beauty is — and not just makeup.
I also want GQ France to offer real support to emerging design in France — not just to French designers but all those who come to the city because they have an artistic project.
Then we have to speak about fundamental issues like men’s mental health. The highest suicide rate is among men. It’s a longstanding taboo and was often kept under wraps due to toxic masculinity in modern society.
I see my mission as offering topics that broaden the definition of what “being a man” means, not just bringing them fashion and luxury content. And if that means that we lose some readers who get scared off by more progressive ideas or advancements for society…that’s something I’m fine with. I’d rather concentrate on [people] who can carry our message and be ambassadors of sorts rather than constantly be fighting with those who don’t get it.
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