Updated: Nylon Lays Off a Third of its Magazine Staff

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Nylon magazine reportedly laid off 13 staffers on Friday, WWD reports, which amounts to about a third of the magazine. Those reportedly let go include publisher Dana Fields, two fashion editors, two writers, a video producer, business assistants, and advertising sales positions.

WWD counts three fashion editors and a photo and art editor as staff members left on the print side. That sounds ominous, considering that Nylon shut down its Nylon Guys print edition magazine and went digital in March. WWD's sources suggest that "it is only a matter of time" before Nylon goes all-digital too. The company has been reportedly adding digital jobs over time, and getting rid of print positions.

Nylon didn't confirm the number of layoffs, but issued a statement to WWD that read in part: "In this case, we have consolidated and eliminated a few positions in part of our business, but we have added a number of positions and resources to support the very rapid growth in the digital and influencer segments of our business."

In the past few years, Nylon's been through dramatic leadership changes. The magazine's editor-in-chief and chief marketing officer Michelle Lee started last year, with hopes to bring Nylon's focus back to fashion and music. But a source told WWD that the "magazine has not been selling," and that "Budgets [for print] don’t exist anymore."

Update: Nylon contacted Racked to say that WWD's numbers regarding the layoffs are inaccurate, but those numbers have yet to be amended in the original story. Here is a statement from Nylon's CEO Paul Greenberg:

At NYLON we constantly evaluate our staffing mix to ensure we have the best people in the right roles as we focus on the growth engines of our business. In this case, we have consolidated and eliminated a few positions in part of our business, but we have added a number of positions and resources to support the very rapid growth in the digital and influencer segments of our business. We are very proud of the work our team has done to build the wonderful foundation we now have, and we look forward to a very bright future at NYLON.