British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman stepping down after 25 years
Alexandra Shulman, OBE, is set to leave British Vogue after 25 years in June. The iconic editor-in-chief has not yet revealed her next career move, but after quarter of a century at the helm of the fashion bible, we hazard a guess she’s got a bright future ahead of her.
The Drum reports that Shulman simply wants to “experience a different life” and looks “forward to a future separate to Vogue”.
So who will fill the most coveted position in the British fashion industry? No successor has been announced, but it’s thought an announcement will be made soon.
Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Condé Nast Britain, said: “This is an announcement I hoped never to have to make. Alexandra Shulman, editor-in-chief of British Vogue for a quarter of a century, told me before Christmas that she had decided to stand down from Vogue in six months time.
“Shulman has been the longest serving and most successful editor of Vogue in its 100 year history. She has edited the title for a quarter of its existence, through its period of highest ever circulation, and its simultaneous transformation into a global digital brand.
“It is impossible to sufficiently express the contribution she has made to Vogue, to Condé Nast and to the British fashion industry.”
Shulman added: “I have edited British Vogue for 25 years almost to the day, and to have steered it during our spectacular centenary has been one of the greatest privileges. During that time I have worked with an unparalleled collection of talent both inside and outside the magazine and have been lucky enough to see both Vogue and the British fashion industry expand and flourish.
“It has been very hard to find a rational reason to leave what is unquestionably a fascinating and rewarding role but last autumn I realised that I very much wanted to experience a different life and look forward to a future separate to Vogue.
“My career at Condé Nast has been everything I could have wished of it and my heartfelt thanks go to Nicholas Coleridge and Jonathan Newhouse for giving me so many opportunities, trusting me to take care of the precious cargo that is Vogue and allowing me the freedom to do the job exactly how I wanted.”
Shulman started her career in publishing at Over-21 magazine, before joining the Tatler team in 1982. There, she worked her way up to the role of features editor in just five years. Next, she moved on to the Sunday Telegraph, where she held the position of editor of the women’s pages.
Her career at Vogue started in 1988 as the magazine’s features editor, before moving over to fellow Condé Nast publication GQ as editor in 1990. Two years later, she returned to Vogue – but this time as editor.
In her 25-year-long career at Vogue, Shulman’s achieved a huge amount. In April 2016, she made history by publishing the Duchess of Cambridge’s first magazine cover in celebration of the magazine’s centenary issue. Shulman followed up the cover with an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, which Kate herself attended.
Shulman’s won numerous awards, published a number of books (including a diary detailing Vogue‘s 100th year), starred in a fly-on-the-wall documentary detailing life behind the glossy pages of the magazine and raised a family during the last quarter of a century. We can’t wait to see what she does next.
Flying the flag for ‘real’ women Vogue’s new issue is a model-free zone
