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Anna Wintour will step back from the role of editor-in-chief at American Vogue after 37 years at the helm of the iconic fashion magazine.
The announcement, first shared with Vogue staff yesterday morning, means the publication is on the hunt for a new editorial lead for the first time in nearly four decades.
It does not mean the legendary editor will cut ties with American Vogue or parent company Condé Nast, however.
Instead, she will continue as Global Editorial Director at Vogue and Chief Content Officer at Condé Nast, with American Vogue’s new editorial lead reporting directly to Wintour.
Wintour steps back, prompting leadership shake-up at Vogue
Whether one prefers to take inspiration from Emmy-award-winning TV shows or quantitative studies of global boardrooms, the challenges of leadership succession planning have been well-documented – an absence of long-term direction, internal politics, non-existent change management, to name a few.
At American Vogue, however, there’s been plenty of time to prepare for this day. Rumors of Wintour’s apparent exit from the firm have “swirled for years – decades, even,” according to Diana Pearl, Senior Editor at The Business of Fashion.
Accordingly, the publication’s plan for the editor-in-chief role appears to be a cautious one. Wintour’s successor is not set to be like-for-like and will instead handle the day-to-day operations of the role.
Moreover, Wintour told her workforce that she would retain many of her key responsibilities, “including paying very close attention to the fashion industry and the creative cultural force that is our extraordinary Met Ball and charting the course of future Vogue Worlds and any other original fearless ideas we may come up with.”
“And it goes without saying that I plan to remain Vogue’s tennis and theater editor in perpetuity,” she added.
‘Thrilling’ to welcome new successor, Wintour tells staff
Vogue indicated the search for a successor is yet to begin, noting it would “soon be seeking a head of editorial content.”
It comes as part of a broader reorganization effort across Vogue’s numerous international publications, with editor-in-chief roles being phased out in favor of ‘heads of editorial content.’ Those heads currently report into Wintour.
Roger Lynch, Chief Executive Officer at Condé Nast, told the Wall Street Journal that a leadership reorganization was in order, with Wintour effectively doing three jobs since 2020.
“This will enable her to make time for everyone who needs her,” he said.
Wintour herself shared optimism that the move would aid American Vogue’s future pipeline of editorial talent.
“Anybody in a creative field knows how essential it is never to stop growing in one’s work. When I became the editor of Vogue, I was eager to prove to all who might listen that there was a new, exciting way to imagine an American fashion magazine,” Wintour told Vogue employees.
“Now, I find that my greatest pleasure is helping the next generation of impassioned editors storm the field with their own ideas, supported by a new, exciting view of what a major media company can be,” she continued. “And that is exactly the kind of person we need to now look for to be HOEC for US Vogue.”
The fashion industry icon ended her staff address by emphasizing that fresh blood will be good news for the publication: “How thrilling it will be to work alongside someone new who will challenge us, inspire us, and make us all think about Vogue in a myriad of original ways.”
