Will she or won’t she? The fashion industry has been waiting with bated breath to see if Anna Wintour will retire from her role as Vogue magazine editor-in-chief and Conde Nast artistic director and usher in a new era for the industry. But the rumors seem to be just that — at least for now.
Conde Nast CEO Bob Sauerberg took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to reaffirm, in a pair of tweets that seemed teasing by design, that Wintour will continue on with the media giant, which has been in the midst of a massive restructuring over the past few months.
Wintour marks 40 years with Conde Nast this month, and several changes to the masthead have already been confirmed, including the transition of longtime Vogue West Coast editor Lisa Love into a new position at CNX, Conde Nast’s in-house branding agency.
Apparently, the drumbeat had gotten so loud about Wintour’s potential departure that Sauerberg felt the need to address the rumors. His statements come a day after news broke that Beyonce will guest-edit the September issue of Vogue, with unprecedented creative control over her image. The pop icon hired Tyler Mitchell, the first black photographer to shoot a cover in the publication’s 126-year history.
It should be noted that Wintour — with her signature bob and sunglasses and the subject of countless parodies and one blockbuster film, The Devil Wears Prada — is synonymous with Conde Nast at this point. The editor is such a valuable asset, in fact, that she and Vogue recently entered into a licensing agreement with Nike to release limited-edition Air Jordans that are Wintour-approved.
See Sauerberg’s tweets protecting that asset, below.
“…in her role as @voguemagazine editor-in-chief and artistic director of Condé Nast.” 2/2
— Condé Nast (@CondeNast) July 31, 2018
