Biography
Stefano Tonchi is the editorial director at Palmer and was the editor of W Magazine, which he joined from the same role at T: The New York Times Style Magazine. In addition, the editor has worked at Esquire and L’Uomo Vogue.
Renowned for his uptown, high gloss aesthetic, Tonchi brought his perfectly polished editorial eye to T as the supplement’s launch editor-in-chief in 2004. Under his leadership, T grew to 15 issues annually, expanded internationally, launched a companion website and was nominated for multiple National Magazine Awards. In 2008, T was awarded Magazine of the Year from the Society of Publication Designers.
Prior to launching T, Tonchi was Style Editor at the Sunday Times Magazine. From 1998 to 2003, Tonchi was the fashion director for Esquire. Whilst Tonchi was at the publication, Esquire earned the Magazine of the Year award from the Society of Publication Designers, as well as National Magazine Award nominations for Photography and Design.
Before joining Esquire, Tonchi worked as creative director for J. Crew. Prior to that, he served as editor and later fashion director for L'Uomo Vogue, from 1987 to 1994. At the start of his career in Italy, Tonchi co-founded and served as editor and art director for Westuff magazine.
In June 2019, W Magazine was acquired by Surface Media as it formed a new holding company, Future Media Group, letting go Tonchi who started at the publication in 2010. Following a rather abrupt exit, Tonchi took to suing Advance Publication, the parent company of W Magazine’s original Owner, Conde Nast, for a total of over $1 million for violating his contract. Following the event, Condé Nast sued the former executive for interfering with its sale to Surface Media. The new deal will see Condé remain in charge of its One World Trade Centre location, while Future Media will oversee the Milan, Paris and upcoming Los Angeles branches.
In March 2022, the former editor of T: The New York Times Style Magazine and W has been named the editorial director of Palmer, a new title about Palm Beach, Fla., a seasonal destination for wealthy snowbirds that attracted an influx of permanent residents during the pandemic.