As editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, British-born journalist Glenda Bailey garnered international acclaim for her vision. Combining high fashion with intelligent in-depth features, her editorial approach has marked the magazine as one of the most prominent fashion publications in the world.
Appointed to the role in 2001 — having served as editor-in-chief of the US edition of Marie Claire since 1996 — Bailey’s directional leadership played a pivotal role in steering the magazine through the financial downturn in 2008. She entered into a unique partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue, connecting the worlds of content and commerce and launched an e-commerce site ShopBazaar.com, in collaboration with Yoox.com.
A fashion design graduate of Kingston University, Bailey’s final year dissertation on the IPC Magazine publishing group. introduced the young creative to the concept of fashion journalism. Following a brief stint as a design assistant for Guisi Slaverio, she landed her first role as editor for British magazine Honey. Despite having no previous editorial experience, Bailey, through a series of meetings with IPC director Colin Reeves-Smith, followed her appointment at Honey with a role at the publication company’s newly launched Folio magazine and in 1988 played an instrumental role in the launch of the British version of French fashion magazine Marie Claire. By the mid-90s Marie Claire had become one of the most popular publications in Britain, with a circulation of over 450,000.
The established editor has received a number of industry accolades throughout her illustrious career, including several ASME awards and in 2008, an MBE in recognition of her services in journalism and fashion. While serving at the helm of Marie Claire, Bailey was also presented with two successive awards as "Women’s Magazine Editor of the Year" and "Editor’s Editor of the Year," along with several consumer magazine awards and recognition from Amnesty International for her dedicated coverage of human rights affairs.
At the start of 2019, Bailey was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
In January 2020, it was announced that she will step down as editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, while staying on at Hearst as a full-time global consultant for international editions of the title.
