Fashion Earthquake: Pope Steps Down

Anna Wintour is giving up her crown. After 37 years of undivided rule at American Vogue, she is handing over the reins, but not completely saying goodbye to fashion. The end of an era? More like the beginning of a new chapter.

Anna Wintour – style icon, authority and undisputed empress of Vogue – is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of the American edition of the magazine after 37 years. She announced her decision on June 26 during a morning meeting with the editorial team. Although it is not a complete departure, but a move to a "different chair", it is difficult to consider the decision as anything other than a symbolic end of an era.

Anna Wintour leaves Vogue / Shutterstock

When Anna Wintour took over American Vogue in 1988 , no one expected her to revolutionize the industry and set new standards in fashion and journalism. Her first cover, with model Michaela Bercu in faded jeans and a $10,000 Christian Lacroix sweater, was a symbolic revolution in the world of luxury.

Over the years, she has redefined the concept of beauty, broken canons and opened the magazine to diversity – not only cultural, but also aesthetic. Bold decisions, such as placing lesser-known names on the cover, portraying men ( Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford in 1992 ), or outdoor photos instead of studio shots, have changed the way the world perceives fashion.

Anna Wintour's legacy is not limited to her influence on celebrity styling. She shaped the narrative around fashion as a culture , not just an industry. The famous Met Gala is her credit.

Although Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue , she is not disappearing from the worlds of media and fashion. In 2020, she became global chief content officer of Condé Nast , overseeing GQ, Vanity Fair, AD, and Bon Appétit, among others. Now, she is taking on a new role: global chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue .

In her speech to the team, she emphasized that the decision to change is not a retirement, but a conscious passing of the baton to a new generation.

- Today, my greatest joy is supporting a new generation of passionate editors [...] And that is exactly the kind of person we are looking for to take over the role of HOEC at American Vogue - she was quoted as saying during the meeting by People magazine.

Who will dare to step into her heels?