How Did Anna Wintour Build the Influence She Has Today?
When I mention Anna Wintour, people always have one of these two reactions :
- Isn’t she the woman who always wears huge sunglasses ?
- I heard she’s not the easiest person to work with, or to be around.
Well, yes, she is the woman with the huge sunglasses. As for the second question, I can’t say since I don’t know her personally.
Today, I invite you to learn more about the fashion journalist Anna Wintour and how she built her empire and influence in the fashion industry.
Anna Wintour was born on November 3rd, 1949, in London. I think her first official contact with fashion was during her time at North London Collegiate School, where she frequently rebelled against the strict British dress code by shortening her skirt. At the age of 14, she began wearing her hair in a bob, a hairstyle she has kept for 62 years.
She started developing her passion for fashion by reading numerous magazines such as Seventeen and Ready Steady Go by Cathy McGowan. At just 15, she took her first steps into the fashion and publishing world by working at Biba magazine.
After a few years of studying fashion and journalism, she was hired at Harper’s Bazaar as a First Editorial Assistant. What does that mean?
A First Editorial Assistant is a junior-level role in a publishing house, magazine, or media company. They provide administrative and editorial support to senior editors and the editorial team. Essentially, Anna was organizing manuscripts, fact-checking, correcting grammar, and ensuring that the magazine’s style was consistent across articles. It’s often considered an entry-level position in the journalism industry.
Anna started like every big-name journalist. The influence she holds today is the result of strategic decisions, bold moves, and an exceptional network.
Her Career : A Strategic Journey
While still at Harper’s Bazaar, where she worked for 13 years, Anna quickly built a strong reputation for her impeccable attention to detail and her visionary approach. Anna wasn’t limited by the trends of her time; she saw beyond them, and it was this avant-garde vision that propelled her to the top.
In 1983, she joined Vogue UK to lead the launch of Vogue in the US. Shortly after, she took over as editor of Vogue UK and eventually became the magazine’s editor-in-chief. Vogue is a leading fashion and lifestyle magazine, founded in 1892. It covers fashion, beauty, culture, and lifestyle trends and is known for its influential editorials and high-profile contributors.
Reinventing a Hundred-Year-Old Magazine
The main reason Anna was hired at Vogue was because they saw her potential as an avant-garde writer in the fashion industry. A company that remains stuck in its original vision cannot evolve or thrive in today’s society. As the saying goes: We should live with our time.
When Anna joined Vogue, they saw her as the fresh force who would bring a modern, innovative vision to the magazine.
She indirectly made fashion more accessible by blending haute couture with ready-to-wear in the magazine. She also introduced new concepts, such as the rise of the supermodel, like Naomie Campbell in the 90’s, and was one of the first to feature celebrities as models in magazines and later in brand advertising campaigns.
A Story of Networking
As a business student, I am well aware of how important networking is in today’s society, and Anna Wintour is the perfect example. She is not just a writer or journalist; she is someone with a deep passion for what she writes about. That’s why she ensures she’s in the front row, both literally and figuratively, for any new concepts and opportunities.
Anna has always maintained close relationships with creative designers, brand CEOs, and models. We can obviously mention her mutual admiration with the fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, as well as her continuous support throughout Marc Jacobs’ career. And because writing about fashion is also a business, we can note her cordial relationship with François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering Group, and Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH.
This direct connection with multiple parties allows her to break down the barrier between fashion journalists and the people they write about. Thanks to this circle of trust, she often has access to exclusive information before other fashion writers.
However, as you know, it’s impossible to stay connected with every designer or agree with all their creative visions. Over time, Anna’s opinion has become so influential in the fashion industry that having her mention your name in an article is a mark of success. A single mention from her can significantly impact your reputation, for better or worse. She built an empire at Vogue, and the magazine now shapes the entire fashion industry.
An image, the cherry on top
As I mentioned earlier, Anna Wintour is also known for being the woman who always wears oversized sunglasses and rarely smiles. Plus, the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, is rumored to be inspired by her.
If you want to have a strong impact in your field, your skills and network are crucial, but so is your image. Anna clearly has the skills, but she also has a distinct personal style that makes her instantly recognizable. It’s essentially her brand DNA, her brand identity.
In a Few Words
Anna Wintour’s journey was neither accidental nor the result of mere luck. It is the product of hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and an avant-garde vision, all reinforced by her strong personal image. Even in the 1980s, she understood that to grow a brand, one must think bigger and look ahead. Her relentless ambition drove her to push boundaries, ultimately shaping the fashion industry as we know it today.
The concept of the supermodel ? That was her. Celebrities featured directly in fashion campaigns ? Her again. The Met Gala ? Yes, she transformed it into the iconic annual fashion event it is today.
To echo the beginning of this article, I still don’t know her personally, and I’m not here to shower her with praise. But when it comes to influential figures, it’s always fascinating to analyze how they reached such heights. In Anna Wintour’s case, ambition was the driving force, always guided by one key question: What’s next ?
Fun facts !!
Anna Wintour is known for her reserved demeanor at fashion shows, which makes her standing ovations particularly noteworthy. Among the most recent, we can mention Dior Haute Couture (January 2025), where the spotlight was on Dior’s archives, reimagined by Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Tom Ford (Fall-Winter 2025), featuring Haider Ackermann’s first collection for the brand, stay tuned i’ll be sharing more on this one soon ;).