The fashion mogul turns 75 and shows no sign of loosening her grip on the fashion world. Here's a look at the magazine's contributions to the global fashion scene — and the controversies.
Anna Wintour turns 75Image: Lev Radin/SIPA USA/picture alliance
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A woman with a bob cut wearing oversized sunglasses sits in the front row of nearly every major fashion show.
She is of course the iconic Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine.
For over three decades, Wintour has been at the helm of American Vogue — she also oversees content for all magazines in the Condé Naste company that owns the fashion bible.
On November 3, the style mogul turns 75. She shows no sign of slowing down.
Wintour has not only influenced how people dress in the US, she has also had a hand in shaping fashion globally, including in Africa and India.
Of course, her ongoing legacy is not without criticism.
Is Wintour really 'the devil wearing Prada'
Speculation abounds as to whether the heartless antagonist in the 2006 film, "The Devil Wears Prada" — and the book of the same name written by Wintour assistant, Lauren Weisberger — was directly inspired by the Vogue editor-in-chief.
In the movie, a ruthless fashion boss, played by Meryl Streep, terrorizes her employees.
While Wintour herself labeled the book and the movie "fiction," a 2022 biography by Amy Odell confirms that the fashionista had an assistant responsible for making sure her daily breakfast of extra-hot grande Starbucks latte and blueberry muffin was waiting on her desk.
Whatever the veracity of the claim that Wintour was more than just a loose inspiration for the hit film, the character did reflect the Vogue chief's ability to reign over the fashion world.
Wintour has a signature look and is easily spotted at the world's premiere fashion shows, like here at London Fashion Week in February, 2024Image: Henry Nicholls/AFP
Near 40 years as Vogue boss
Wintour was born into a well-off family in London in 1949. Her father, an editor of the London Evening Standard daily newspaper, helped her land her first job at Harpers & Queen magazine as a fashion assistant at the age of 20.
She eventually moved to New York City with her then-partner and continued to climb the editorial ladder at a number of publications.
In 1988 she was offered the position at US Vogue, which she now holds "indefinitely" — as Condé Naste stated several years ago amidst a flurry of retirement rumors.
Kamala Harris on the cover of Vogue MagazineImage: Tyler Mitchell/VOGUE/AFP
When Wintour took the helm of the famous fashion magazine, its advertising revenue was threatened by a new women's lifestyle magazine, Elle.
Yet thanks to Wintour, Vogue carved its own niche and came out on top.
The publication moved away from only featuring models on the cover. Prominent women in politics and Hollywood such as Angelina Jolie and Hillary Clinton soon had star billing.
Vogue covers have since featured men like Timothée Chalamet and even prominant activists such as transgender LGTBQ+ rights activist Ariel Nicholson.
102-year-old Holocaust survivor and advocate Margot Friedländer was featured in German Vogue earlier this year.
Wintour helped the magazine's parent company, Condé Nast, launch a number of spinoff magazines, including Teen Vogue which hit shelves in 1993.
She also made a name for the magazine by associating it with a number of high-end philanthropic events in Manhattan, most notably the Met Gala, which she helped transform into a star-studded celebrity event known as the East Coast's answer to the Oscars.
Wintour is lauded for her ability to mix the fashion world with Hollywood, helping fashion designers and brands reach the public.
Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer lands on German Vogue cover
The 102-year-old will grace the cover of the July/August issue of Vogue Germany. She is a tireless fighter for remembrance culture and for more humanity.
Image: VOGUE Germany/dpa/picture-alliance
'Don't look at what divides you. Look at what unites you'
She is one of the last few Holocaust survivors who experienced the horrors of Nazi crimes firsthand. Having first lived in the US, she moved to Berlin in 2010 and has since been tirelessly campaigning for a remembrance culture as well as for mutual understanding and tolerance. In 2016, she received the Order of Merit of Berlin, the highest award given by the state.
Image: VOGUE Germany/dpa/picture-alliance
106-year-old 'cover girl'
But an even older model has already made it onto the cover of the magazine in 2023: Apo Whang-Od, who hails from a remote, mountainous village in the Kalinga province in northern Philippines, began tattooing at age 16. The traditional Kalinga tattooist has inspired a new generation to learn "batok," which involves tapping tattoos into the skin by hand using a thorn dipped in soot and natural dye.
Image: Vogue Philippines/Artu Nepomuceno
'A new type of man'
Hollywood darling Timothee Chalamet is the first man to make a solo appearance on the cover of British Vogue in its 106-year history. Vogue describes him as carving out "a new genre of man" who delivers both vulnerable and violent performances. In the interview, Chalamet talks about growing up, his ambitions and the importance of going to the dentist.
Image: Vogue
'We're looking forward to a victory'
Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, 44-year-old Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, discussed her unannounced trip to the US in July 2022, where she addressed Congress. Saying that she was speaking as a mother and daughter, not just a First Lady, she showed US lawmakers pictures of Ukrainian children who had been killed by Russian rockets before she requested more support in the form of arms.
Image: Annie Leibovitz/Vogue
Adele lands on the UK and US covers
Promoting her latest album, "30," the English singer-songwriter graced the November 2021 covers of both British and American "Vogue" with two different photos. In the interview, Adele broke her media silence on her drastic weight loss: "I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it?" Adele said, reacting to fans who would have liked to follow her "journey" on Instagram.
Image: Steven Maisel/British Vogue
Greta Thunberg: Fridays for Future
Featuring on the fashion magazine's Summer 2021 cover, the teenage activist used the platform to criticize fast fashion: "The fashion industry is a huge contributor to the climate and ecological emergency, not to mention its impact on the countless workers and communities who are being exploited around the world in order for some to enjoy fast fashion that many treat as disposables," she tweeted.
Image: Vogue Scandinavia
Malala Yousafzai: The outspoken survivor
As a 15-year-old, Malala was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan because she spoke up for girls' education. In 2014, she received the Nobel Peace Prize. She featured on the cover of Vogue UK's July 2021 edition, in which she discussed the limits of online activism: "Right now ... we have associated activism with tweets. That needs to change, because Twitter is a completely different world."
Image: Vogue
Amanda Gorman: Rise of a cultural icon
We watched agog as she recited her poem "The Hill We Climb" with such aplomb at Joe Biden's inauguration. Since then, Amanda Gorman's star has been on the ascent. The 24-year-old cultural icon, Harvard graduate and Youth Poet Laureate has since landed a modeling contract and will grace the cover of US Vogue in May 2021.
Image: Vogue
Lizzo: 'Be the first'
In an Instagram post, musician Lizzo claimed that she was the first big, Black woman on the cover of Vogue — although the magazine itself hasn't confirmed that. Nevertheless, the rest of her post is worth emulating: "But our time has come. To all my Black girls, if someone like you hasn't done it yet — BE THE FIRST."
Image: Vogue
Harry Styles: Wear what you like
British pop singer (and former One Direction heartthrob) Harry Styles became the US magazine's first ever male cover star in November 2020. Garbed in a Gucci gown paired with a black tuxedo jacket, the cover sparked debate. Styles responded, "I think what's exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn't have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred."
Image: Vogue
Yalitza Aparicio: Proud of her roots
In a country where lighter skinned people get more media coverage despite being outnumbered by Indigenous communities, Mexican actor Yalitza Aparicio's Vogue Mexico cover made history. The former preschool teacher, who received a best actress Oscar nomination for her debut performance in Alfonso Cuaron's 2018 drama "Roma," was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples in 2019.
Image: Vogue
Padma Lakshmi: Tireless multi-hyphenate
Padma Lakshmi, top chef, author and host of an Emmy-winning television show, is also an ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union. She has established the Endometriosis Foundation of America (a condition that she suffered personally), and placed the spotlight on sexual assault in an op-ed in 2018 in the New York Times, where she revealed that she too was a rape survivor.
Image: Vogue
Priyanka Chopra: Model to memoirist
The first Indian woman to grace the cover of US Vogue, Priyanka Chopra rose to fame in her native India after being crowned Miss World in 2000. She starred in several Bollywood films, winning acting awards on the way. She has since successfully crossed over to Hollywood and recently published her memoir, "Unfinished," which made the New York Times bestseller list.
Image: Vogue
Madonna: Pop culture phenomenon
No Vogue-related listicle would be complete without a mention of the singer who not only influenced pop culture but whose similarly titled single put "vogue-ing" on the map. The 65-year-old music icon has been setting trends since the 80s, and has played muse to fashion designers and younger pop stars alike.
Image: Vogue
Lupita Nyong'o: Planting the seed of possibility
The Oscar-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o has openly spoken of her insecurity about her looks. "Until I saw people who looked like me, doing the things I wanted to. Seeing Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in 'The Color Purple,' it dawned on me: 'Oh — I could be an actress!' We plant the seed of possibility." She now uses her platform "to expand and diversify the African voice."
Image: Vogue
Forces for change
Besides Laverne Cox, who became the first trans cover person on British Vogue, this landmark issue boasted a cover line-up of global female movers-and-shakers including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Image: Vogue
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Wintour makes Vogue a global brand
The original US edition of Vogue was first published in 1892, with the British edition coming next in 1916.
Currently, there are over 28 international editions of Vogue magazine. The expansion of the brand has shaped the global fashion scene.
Wintour's editorial decisions have played a role in how the magazines operate in their respective countries.
The launch of Vogue Africa in 2021 helped bring African designers into the international spotlight.
Meanwhile, Vogue India launched in 2007 under Wintour's personal guidance.
The Indian edition has since helped position the country as a major player in the fashion industry, promoting the merging of traditional Indian attire with contemporary styles.
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Not doing enough for diversity
Yet Wintour's reign is not without controversy.
US Vogue has been accused of underrepresenting people of color and of not doing enough to celebrate diversity in the notoriously privileged and snobby world of fashion.
The industry, like others, has been called upon to be more inclusive, particularly since the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Vogue has made more of an effort to put Black women like the pop singer Rhianna and former First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover in recent years, and Wintour herself put out a statement supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
But critics say that Wintour has the power to do a lot more.
A 2022 British Vogue cover featuring nine African models was both celebrated and criticizedImage: Captital Pictures/picture alliance
Such numbers suggest that the 36 years with Wintour at the helm has not significantly changed the status quo as white people still dominate fashion covers.
A 2020 New York Times article about Condé Nast detailed the experiences of Black former employees.
Among other grievances, they said they "faced ignorance and lazy stereotyping from white bosses when the subject of covering black culture came up."
Critiques of Vogue aren't left simply to the US magazine that Wintour runs. After all, she is responsible for overseeing all international content.
A 2022 cover of British Vogue featuring nine models from Africa came under fire for upholding western beauty ideals and fetishising blackness — all models were wearing western-style hairdos, and their skin was said to be edited to be darker.
For now, Wintour continues to hold onto her post "indefinitely."
While her accomplishments as a strong editorial director and business savvy leader are laudable, the next generation could soon be called to take the lead and bring a fresh perspective to fashion world's most influential publication.
