Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour
Anna Wintour, OBEis a British-American journalist and editor. She has been editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988. In 2013, she became artistic director for Condé Nast, Vogue's publisher. With her trademark pageboy bob haircut and dark sunglasses, Wintour has become an important figure in much of the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for younger designers. Her reportedly aloof and demanding personality has earned her the nickname "Nuclear Wintour"...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionFashion Designer
Date of Birth3 November 1949
CityLondon, England
'Vogue' is a fashion magazine, and a fashion magazine is about change.
It is so important for designers not to run scared, and not to be too worried about what's safe and what's commercial.
My father was a newspaper editor, so I was surrounded by journalists my entire life. I think the fact that he was so well known may be why I chose to go into magazines and move to the States at a young age.
Because of reality television and all these celebrities thinking they can be designers, everyone imagines that they can just become a designer, photographer, or model, but that's not the way things work. People have to go to school, learn their craft, and build a brand - that's the right, healthy way to do things.
If one comes across sometimes as being cold or brusque, it's simply because I'm striving for the best.
'Vogue' is the best of everything that fashion can offer, and I think we point the way. We are, you know, a glamorous girlfriend.
I never pay any attention. I'm sure it's not such a good way to be, but I don't really follow market research.
It's very important to take risks. I think that research is very important, but in the end you have to work from your instinct and feeling and take those risks and be fearless. When I hear a company is being run by a team, my heart sinks, because you need to have that leader with a vision and heart that can move things forward.
I'm always looking for a cover subject that reflects the magazine, an interest in fashion, in culture, in society. We're trying to bring the world into the pages of 'Vogue.' We do that by tapping into the zeitgeists with our cover subjects.
I don't think I am that hands-on. I'm much more of a believer in finding a great team of people and trusting them to follow their instincts. They work better when they feel they have freedom and they are trusted.
I'd always been extremely fascinated by the French Nuit Blanche, which is a weekend that they have in Paris where they keep all the museums open until dawn. You can go and hang out in Versailles in the middle of the night and watch the sun come up.
One doesn't want fashion to look ridiculous, silly, or out of step with the times - but you do want designers that make you think, that make you look at fashion differently. That's how fashion changes. If it doesn't change, it's not looking forward. And that's important to me.
I'm horribly hands-on, I'm afraid. I like to read every caption.
To be in 'Vogue' has to mean something. It's an endorsement. It's a validation.