Fashion industry titan Anna Wintour is leaving her role as editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years in charge.
Wintour will continue to hold a prominent role at the international fashion and lifestyle publisher Condé Nast, which owns Vogue and other magazines like Vanity Fair and Glamour, so it’s not a retirement.
However, Wintour’s exit from the US edition of the magazine marks a significant turning point for the fashion business, which she has permanently altered on her own.
Fashion magazine mania‘
The 19th century saw the formalization of fashion periodicals as we know them today. They contributed to the development of the “trickle down theory” of fashion, which holds that influential magazine editors and other industry insiders have historically set trends.
In Australia, obtaining a monthly issue gave you unique access to the newest styles in American or European fashion.
In 1892, industrialist Arthur Baldwin Turnure founded Vogue in New York. The magazine, which at first covered a variety of topics related to high society life, was aimed at the city’s elite class. Vogue was purchased by Condé Nast in 1909. Since then, the journal has solidified its position as a mainstay of the fashion publishing industry.
Mass fashion consumption and a growing fashion magazine culture were especially made possible in the years after World War II.
When Wintour took over as editor of Vogue in 1988, the publication started to shift from conservatism to cultural significance.
Unafraid to defy expectations
Wintour’s daring editorial decisions—particularly with regard to the magazine covers—had a significant impact on fashion publishing. Changes in fashion culture were both reflected in and controlled by her choices.
Wintour’s debut Vogue cover, which was released in 1988, was the first to combine mass brands (stonewashed Guess denim) with haute clothing (Christian Lacroix). Additionally, it was the first time jeans were ever featured on a Vogue cover, which set the stage for the magazine’s lengthy history of breaking new ground.
Additionally, Wintour was the first to center celebrities—rather than just models—in the conversation about fashion. She used well-known celebrities like Beyonce, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey, but she also used up-and-coming celebrities as cover models, frequently advancing their careers in the process.
As part of her legacy at Vogue, Wintour transformed the fashion industry from a showy runway to a strong one that doesn’t hesitate to make a statement. This is never more evident than during the annual Met Gala, which honors the debut of a brand-new fashion show at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Before it was originally connected to a fashion show in 1974, the event began as a straightforward fundraiser for the Met in 1948.
In 1995, Wintour assumed control of the organization. Her emphasis on obtaining high-profile visitors contributed to its development into the esteemed occasion it is today.
This year, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style was the event’s theme. Through the event, Wintour was praised for elevating Black history during a period of extreme political unrest in the United States.
Not without disagreement
Wintour’s legacy at American Vogue is not without flaws, despite the fact that her cultural effect is undeniable.
Notably, since the height of the anti-fur movement, her continuous conflict with the animal rights group PETA has simmered in the background because of her steadfast support for fur.
Anti-fur activists have physically attacked Wintour (she was struck by a tofu cream pie in 2005 as she was leaving a Chloe show) and staged other rallies against her.
This problem was never fixed. Even when the social license for utilizing animal materials begins to wane, Vogue has persisted in showcasing and featuring fur clothes.
Fashion is still becoming more and more political. It’s unclear how publications like Vogue will react to this change.
A shifting media environment
The unidirectional “trickle-down” structure of the fashion business is being challenged by a flood of fashion influencers with hordes of followers brought about by the growth of fashion blogging in recent decades.
Social media platforms now have more influence in the fashion industry than conventional media did. As a result, fashion editors like Wintour are losing a lot of their influence.
There will be a lot of discussion about Wintour’s exit as editor-in-chief, but not nearly as much as about her tenure as head of the largest fashion magazine in the world.
