Anna Wintour’s Life and Career in Fashion

As the Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour is a fixture in the front row of New York and Paris fashion weeks. She is also the Global Chief Content Officer and Artistic Director for the Condé Nast media empire, making her the most powerful woman in the fashion industry and a role model for business leaders worldwide. Anna’s leadership abilities and success result from her experience, vision, creativity, and commitment.

Anna became the Editor in Chief of US Vogue in 1988, succeeding Grace Mirabella. Under her leadership, it became the top fashion magazine in the world, with the Vogue cover being a coveted spot for many public figures and Hollywood stars. Past editorial roles include creative director at US Vogue, Editor in Chief at British Vogue, Editor in Chief at House & Garden, fashion editor at New York magazine, and editorial assistant at Harper's Bazaar.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour has spent more than three decades in fashion journalism. Here are a few fast facts about her life, from the front row to the newsroom:

1. 1. Anna is a Dame Commander. Queen Elizabeth II named ​​Anna a Dame Commander (DBE) of the Order of the British Empire for her service to British journalism. Anna has also received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the British Fashion Council and the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
2. 2. She has a signature look. Anna attends fashion shows wearing her iconic bob, which she has had since she was a teenager, and large oversized sunglasses (usually Chanel).
3. 3. She starred in a documentary. Anna appeared onscreen as herself in The September Issue, R.J. Cutler’s 2009 documentary charting the production of Vogue’s annual September issue (the largest of the year).
4. 4. She runs the Met Gala. Anna is a major contributor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where she organizes the annual high-profile Met Gala to raise money for the museum’s Costume Institute. Under her leadership, the Met Gala red carpet has become a media sensation. Since the 1990s, Anna has hosted numerous HIV/AIDS benefits, raising more than $10 million for AIDS charities. She also began the CFDA/Vogue Fund, a fashion fund to support and mentor unknown American fashion designers. In 2020, Anna and designer Tom Ford created A Common Thread, a relief fund for fashion designers.
5. 5. She shapes pop and political culture. Anna puts many high-profile celebrities on the cover of Vogue, dressing them in couture. Notable Vogue cover models include US Vice President Kamala Harris, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Gigi Hadid, and Kim Kardashian. She’s also an ad-hoc adviser to many celebrities and cultural figures. She hosted fundraisers for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during their presidential runs.

Anna’s decades of experience as an editor, leader, and cultural tastemaker have given her valuable learning experiences. You can expect these five highlights and more from the Vogue editor’s class on creativity and leadership, available exclusively on MasterClass:

1. 1. Build a successful team. One of the key aspects of being a successful leader is building a good team. “You are nothing without a good team,” Anna says. For her part, Anna surrounds herself with people who, she says, “can do things that I couldn't possibly dream of doing, that also can shock me.”
2. 2. Know your audience. Knowing your readers, audience, and customers is essential to put forward your best work. Fashion designer Michael Kors taught Anna the importance of knowing and loving customers.“Do an inspiration board where you pin up who your customer is,” Anna says. “What kind of culture is she interested in? All this will feed into what you're putting out there for the world to see and absorb and to delight in.”
3. 3. Find your voice. To develop your vision and voice as a leader, Anna stresses the need to gain experience, meet people, and consume as much of the world as possible. “You take time to develop a voice,” she says. “And the more that you're seeing along that way, the more that will feed into whatever it is that you may be creating.”
4. 4. Make the right decisions. Being a leader means you have to be a decision-maker. Anna shares her decision process and how to recover when you’ve made the “wrong” decision. She says, “It's very important to understand how your work fits into a much larger cultural narrative. What is it that you are trying to say? What are you standing for?”
5. 5. Push for change. Anna transformed the Met Gala into a star-studded, successful annual event. “It is your job as a leader to push boundaries,” Anna says, “to bring a wider, more exciting vision that others can ultimately support but don't initially see.”

For additional perspectives on leadership, fashion, and creativity, consider the following classes:

1. 1. Diane von Furstenberg on building a fashion brand: Diane von Furstenberg is a fashion designer and brand mogul best known for designing the iconic wrap dress. Watch Diane’s class to learn how to develop and produce a product, and build a fashion brand.
2. 2. Marc Jacobs on fashion design: Marc Jacobs is a fashion designer and five-time recipient of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Watch Marc’s class on fashion design to learn how to choose fabrics, create silhouettes, and develop a collection as an aspiring fashion designer.
3. 3. Richard Branson on disruptive leadership: Richard Branson is an entrepreneur, adventurer, and leader working to address global human rights issues. Watch Richard’s class to learn about bringing out the best in others, business innovation, and global citizenship.

To pursue a creative leadership role, you must develop your voice and vision. Discover Anna’s approach to management, decision-making, and organizational transformation when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.