Fashion’s most enduring leader steps down: Anna Wintour exits Vogue US
After 36 years of setting trends, shaping public taste and elevating fashion journalism to an art form, Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. The announcement, made to staff on Thursday, marks the close of a legendary chapter not only in the magazine’s history, but in global media.
Wintour, 74, will not leave the world of Vogue or its parent company Condé Nast entirely. According to Vogue, she will retain her roles as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s global chief content officer. Her successor will not bear the same title; instead, the magazine will appoint a “head of editorial content” for its US edition, signalling a new era and perhaps a shift in tone and structure.
Wintour’s impact on Vogue—and on the fashion industry at large—is difficult to overstate. When she took the reins in 1988, Vogue was in danger of irrelevance, caught in the rut of predictable glamour. Wintour’s debut cover that November, featuring Israeli model Michaela Bercu in a black Christian Lacroix top and stonewashed jeans, broke all conventions. It was the first time jeans had ever appeared on the cover, and the image was not even the one originally intended. But Wintour’s instinct was clear: fashion needed to be brought down from its pedestal and woven back into the lives of real people.
That instinct would define her editorial vision for the next three decades. Under her leadership, Vogue embraced streetwear, emerging designers, diversity and youth culture, all while maintaining its position at the pinnacle of high fashion. She was known for mixing the aspirational with the accessible, placing First Ladies and A-list celebrities alongside unknown models and new creatives.
Throughout her tenure, Wintour wasn’t just a tastemaker—she was a kingmaker. Designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and Proenza Schouler credit her early support as critical to their success. Her influence extended far beyond editorial into the worlds of politics, Hollywood and philanthropy, culminating in her role as chair of the annual Met Gala, which she transformed into the fashion industry’s most-watched event.
She also broke traditions that had stood for a century. In 1992, Vogue featured Richard Gere on the cover alongside his then-wife Cindy Crawford, the first man ever to appear on the magazine’s front page. She championed photography styles that felt modern and immediate, often opting for natural light, movement, and unexpected angles instead of polished studio imagery.
In 2020, Wintour was elevated to chief content officer of Condé Nast, overseeing content strategy across the company’s titles, including Vanity Fair, GQ, Wired, Bon Appétit and Architectural Digest. This global remit reflected her evolution from editor to executive, a rare feat in the media world.
Yet her departure from the US edition of Vogue still feels seismic. It opens the door for new creative leadership at a time when the fashion media landscape is in flux—balancing tradition with the demands of digital innovation and inclusivity.
Wintour’s exit follows other significant changes in Condé Nast’s editorial ranks. Two years ago, Chioma Nnadi became the first Black woman to lead British Vogue, succeeding Edward Enninful, who made history himself as the magazine’s first Black editor-in-chief. These shifts suggest a new chapter for Vogue globally—one that may look very different, but still builds on the legacy Wintour helped forge.
Despite her polarising persona—immortalised in pop culture through The Devil Wears Prada—Wintour's contributions to the publishing world have been profound. She showed that fashion could be both serious and fun, intellectual and emotional, elitist and democratic.
As Vogue noted in its coverage of the announcement, this move is part of a broader strategic restructuring at Condé Nast. But for many, it represents something far more personal: the end of a visionary era.