Longtime Vogue powerhouse Anna Wintour has announced she is stepping down as Vogue editor-in-chief.
She told staff on Thursday that she's seeking a head of editorial content to handle more of the day-to-day operations.
She isn't leaving the publication entirely, though.
Wintour, 75, is keeping some power at the magazine that built her reputation in fashion by retaining editorial control. She will remain chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue.
“And it goes without saying,” she joked, “that I plan to remain Vogue’s tennis and theater editor in perpetuity.”
The new lead will report directly to Wintour in her capacity as global editorial director, Vogue said in a statement.
“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 staff.
“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 added.
As chief content officer, Wintour will continue to oversee every Condé Nast brand globally, including Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Tatler, Allure and more - with the exception of The New Yorker. She will also remain involved in Vogue World, a traveling fashion and cultural event the magazine began in 2022.
The news shook the fashion world amid headlines that Wintour, who also oversees the annual Met Gala - fashion’s biggest night and a major fundraiser for the fashion wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - was stepping down from the magazine.
Wintour transformed Vogue during her decades at the magazine. She was named creative director in 1983, served as editor-in-chief of British Vogue from 1985 to 1987, and then rejoined the American title as editor-in-chief.
She modernized the magazine by featuring celebrities on its covers and mixing high fashion with more affordable street style.
She championed emerging designers, including Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, and broadened the brand’s reach by adding new titles around the world.
The British-born Wintour was given a Damehood for her services to fashion earlier this year.
Following the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Dame Anna said she did not intend to retire anytime soon.
She said: "The last time I was here, the Queen gave me a medal and we both agreed that we had been doing our job a very long time, and then this morning His Majesty asked me if this meant I was going to stop working, and I said firmly, no."
