The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Franca Sozzani’s successor announced on Thursday that he will step down from the fashion title shortly, after finishing the September issue. His departure follows that of many of his Vogue and GQ editor-in-chief counterparts, including leaders in Germany, Spain and India, as well as the exit of Condé Nast Italia editorial director Luca Dini last autumn.
As part of its global integration, Condé Nast is currently reorganising its editorial teams. The publisher elevated British Vogue editor Edward Enninful to oversee all of the owned and operated European Vogue titles, including Vogue Italia and is not expected to replace the editor-in-chief position in the regions where leaders like Farneti have recently stepped down.
”I believe that we have honoured the tradition of innovation and freedom that underlies the greatness of this magazine,” Farneti wrote on Instagram. “This attribute is what has made Vogue Italia the voice of an industry that does credit to Italy around the world. Italy is a culture that deserves respect, and to be represented for what it is: the culture from which many of fashion’s most influential ideas are conceived and through which the best quality of craftsmanship is produced.”
Farneti was one of the remaining editors expected to depart as part of the consolidation, along with Vogue Paris’ Emmanuelle Alt, who has not confirmed an exit. As part of the new strategy, Condé Nast’s newly named global chief content officer Anna Wintour oversees Vogue worldwide, while Enninful looks after Europe and Vogue Taiwan’s Leslie Sun’s responsibilities include India and Asia, with exceptions for Condé Nast’s joint venture and licensee partners.
ADVERTISEMENT
Before taking over Vogue Italia after Sozzani’s abrupt death in 2016, Farneti helped launch GQ Italy and was something of a perennial editor-in-chief, overseeing eight separate titles over the course of his career. Recently he collaborated with designer Kim Jones, who guest-edited the April edition of Vogue Italia. In 2018, Farneti relaunched L’Uomo Vogue as a fashion-focused biannual.
Further Reading: What’s Behind Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Exodus?
Publisher Condé Nast continues to cut costs and streamline operations, as its US-based leadership consolidates its power after a global merger.
The stylist is set to unveil a bi-annual print magazine and digital platform, with a team that includes Holly Shackleton and Fran Burns.
Luxury book publishers — and husband and wife — Prosper and Martine Assouline join BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the genesis of their publishing business and how they are growing it into a global lifestyle brand.
Now under the ownership of British publisher Future, both Marie Claire and WhoWhatWear are contending with how to grow their new parent’s US operations in the ever-challenging media landscape.
Fast Company has named The Business of Fashion one of the ‘world’s most innovative companies’ for a second time for demonstrating ‘how a media brand can leverage AI to add reader value rather than erode trust with AI-written news articles.’