After nearly four decades at the helm of American Vogue, Anna Wintour is making room at the top - but she's not stepping down just yet, Business of Fashion reported on Thursday.
The fashion publication announced that it is hiring a new head of editorial content, marking a significant change in leadership structure and a subtle signal that Vogue may be preparing for the post-Wintour era.
The incoming leader won't hold the title of editor-in-chief - a role that Wintour has held since 1988 - but will instead assume the newer title of "head of editorial content," a position not standard across Vogue's international editions. This structural shift places American Vogue under the same global editorial system already in place elsewhere in the Vogue universe.
Wintour, meanwhile, isn't going anywhere. She remains Vogue's global editorial director and chief content officer of Condé Nast, overseeing nearly all of the company's magazines with the notable exception of The New Yorker. Her portfolio includes eight international editions of Vogue and just about everything else in the Condé empire.
Less about retirement, more about redistribution
The change is less about retirement and more about redistribution. With Wintour's influence spanning continents and titles, bringing in a new editorial lead for American Vogue will allow her to give more balanced attention to the rest of her editorial kingdom - from Paris to Tokyo and everywhere in between.
The announcement comes amid a wider reshuffling at Condé Nast. Just this April, Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones stepped down, and Vogue’s own Mark Guiducci was named her successor.
Speculation over Wintour’s eventual exit has been fashion media’s favorite sport for years — if not decades — though it’s usually met with swift denials.