Franca Sozzani held the position of editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia for 28 years, before sadly passing away in December 2016. Born in Mantua, Italy, Sozzani studied Philosophy and Germanic Literature at university. She was known for her philanthropic work and is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations. Her sister, Carla Sozanni, founded the much-lauded concept store 10 Corso Como. Additionally, Sozzani held the post as the editorial director of Condé Nast Italia since 1994.
During her tenure at the magazine, Sozzani did not shy away from controversy, commissioning and helming issues on fashion’s weight debate, plastic surgery and her landmark all-black issue. She also addressed issues she saw fit to in her blog and at public speaking events, which have included addressing Harvard’s student union on fashion’s approach to body image.
Renowned as Condé Nast’s fashion photography power-house, Italian Vogue and Sozzani have championed the careers of Bruce Weber, Peter Lindbergh, Ellen von Unwerth and Paolo Roversi. In an age when print circulations were dramatically falling, Sozzani’s image-based approach saw the magazine’s circulation figures consistently rise. The July 2008 “All Black” issue, featuring only models of colour on the cover and across all editorial, was reprinted twice. Sozzani’s career in publishing also extended to photography and artbooks, as well as writing descriptions for exhibition catalogues. Sozzani was also known for her philanthropic work, becoming a United Nations goodwill ambassador in 2012, and receiving the Ledion of Honour by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.
Following her death in 2016, Netflix released a documentary on the late editor’s life, “Franca: Chaos and Creation”, directed by her son, Francesco Carrozzini. The Italian online fashion retailer, Yoox Net-a-porter showcased Sozzani’s private collection of 397 ready-to-wear and haute couture garments alongside 190 accessories. In partnership with the Franca Sozzani Fund established in ___ at the Brigham Women’s Hospital at Harvard, all proceeds from Sozzani’s wardrobe were donated to benefit research in Preventive Genomics. In 2019, the publisher Assouline released a book titled “Franca: Chaos & Creation”, in line with the documentary.
