For more than three decades, Anna Wintour has been synonymous with Vogue. Her bob haircut, trademark sunglasses, and unflinching editorial authority have not only shaped Condé Nast’s flagship magazine but also defined global fashion culture itself.
Now, in what feels like the end of one chapter and the start of another, Wintour is officially delegating parts of her role.
Wintour took the reins at Vogue in 1988 and transformed it from a glossy catalogue of aspirational beauty into a cultural powerhouse. Under her stewardship, Vogue became less about couture alone and more about the intersection of fashion, politics, celebrity, and commerce.
It was Wintour who put Serena Williams on the cover at the height of her dominance, who elevated Kim Kardashian from reality star to fashion fixture, and who used the September issue as both a business weapon and a cultural forecast.
But Wintour’s influence extends well beyond the pages of a magazine. As Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast, she has been the de facto leader not only of Vogue but of a portfolio of some of the world’s most influential titles—Vanity Fair, GQ, The New Yorker, among others. She has wielded her power to greenlight editors, kill stories, and champion diversity initiatives that, however belated, reshaped the face of fashion journalism.
After years of clutching the helm with an iron grip, Wintour is starting to delegate.
Industry insiders suggest several reasons. First, the media landscape has shifted dramatically. Traditional print’s decline has forced even storied titles like Vogue to recalibrate for a digital-first world, where TikTok trends can move faster than a meticulously planned editorial calendar.
Wintour’s ability to adapt is legendary, but she has also recognized the need for new voices who understand the digital-native audience in real time.
Second, the business of fashion media is no longer about glossy covers alone. It is about events like the Met Gala (which Wintour still rules with precision), partnerships with tech companies, branded content, and cultural influence that transcends print. Delegating allows her to focus on strategy and influence rather than daily editorial grind.
And finally, there is legacy. Wintour is 74. While there’s no indication she plans to retire imminently—her power remains intact—Vogue and Condé Nast must survive beyond Anna Wintour.
The announcement of Chloe Malle as Wintour’s replacement in key editorial duties represents a new generation of fashion leadership, one fluent in both heritage and hashtags, someone able to bridge the gap between Wintour’s polished print authority and today’s fast, scrappy, multi-platform media ecosystem.
Chloe Malle arrives as the handpicked crown princess. The daughter of actress Candice Bergen and filmmaker Louis Malle, she grew up stamped with pop prestige but has carved her own path in journalism. She joined Vogue in 2011 as a social editor, left in 2016, and returned in 2023 to lead Vogue.com. In that role, she proved her digital instincts, growing the site to over 14 million monthly visitors while co-hosting the podcast The Run-Through, where Vogue converses directly with its audience in real time.
For Condé Nast, the choice signals an attempt to maintain Vogue’s prestige while ensuring relevance to Gen Z audiences who consume fashion less through magazines and more through reels, vlogs, and influencer-driven trends.
Wintour’s position has long been considered untouchable. It’s important to note however, Anna Wintour is not disappearing. She remains Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast and retains her throne at the Met Gala. Her influence is not diminished so much as recalibrated.
Think of it less as abdication and more as empire expansion. By allowing new leadership to run the day-to-day, Wintour can position herself as the strategic architect of Condé Nast’s future—setting the cultural agenda, managing relationships with the world’s most powerful designers, and ensuring that Vogue remains both aspirational and accessible in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.