The world of
fashion is arguably one of the most complex domains to exist today. There are clothing
brands that dominate the industry and models who are paid millions simply for
their looks and walking abilities. Anna Wintour is neither a clothing brand nor
supermodel; rather, she has been one of the most powerful women in the industry
for nearly 3 decades, running a fashion magazine called Vogue.
Anna Wintour was
named editor-in-chief at Vogue USA in 1988, and has since built a powerhouse
magazine that constantly redefines creative journalism. Her work in Vogue does
not influence designers on their next season’s work, but it influences
politicians, royal families, and several television characters. She defines her
style as “soft-power,” power being just as important to her as the magazine
itself. Anna’s power in both the fashion and print industries is something that
gives Vogue an advantage in an era where quick-read articles are becoming more
popular. She challenges her writers to not only think outside of the box, but
to also devote themselves to what they are working on. She believes that the readers
who actually interested in the content would rather read a piece of greater
effort, despite length, than a convenience piece.
In an interview
from 2016, Wintour describes 4 ways in which she ensures creative success for
Vogue. First is the above mentioned risk-taking and dedication to challenging
topics. The second is to be original, essentially, but on a grander scale. She does
not like to “follow trends” and believes that if someone is interested in a
topic to pursue it even if it is not the trend. Her third suggestion is to step
outside your comfort zone once and awhile. For example, Wintour details how Vogue
had to publish a series of photos online first before in print because of a
security breach. The magazine had mostly stuck to print versions of its work,
so publishing online first was a way to ensure they would be the first to
publish the piece. Her final suggestion is to “make interesting friends.” She believes
human interaction is a good way to collect ideas and find inspiration.
Anna Wintour’s
creative genius shows every year on the first Monday in May for one of the most
exclusive charity events of the year: The Met Gala. The Met Gala is an event
held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York that showcases galleries
themed for that year. Wintour works in conjunction with the Gala’s organizers
to determine a theme and construct rooms that fit accordingly. In order to
properly give credit to that year’s theme, pieces used for the Gala range from paintings
and sculptures to clothing and jewelry. Wintour works closely with experts in
the field of the theme to pay homage to the work featured, and opens herself
and the exhibition to many suggestions and critiques. Her creative process
includes immense collaboration with artists, architects, designers and many
more creatives. Because of Wintour’s unparalleled success in the world of fashion
print, she has managed to make the Met Gala a success year after year.
Sources:
Though I am very familiar with "Anna Wintour" as the editor of Vogue, I'd never really looked further into what exactly it was that made her significant or special or what she did as the editor. I love her 4 ways to ensure creative success for Vogue-- especially the one where she says to "make interesting friends". It seems that one of her biggest creative techniques is collaboration/collection. I also loved discovering that she is the main collaborator for the Met Gala! I think it would be so fun but also so stressful to pick out a sophisticated theme while also picking out art work, sculptures, etc. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love the Met Gala, and I hadn't realized that Anna Wintour was responsible for coordinating the theme and the exhibits! It's so well done year after year, and I'm always impressed by the thought and sophistication involved. Though marketed towards women, the publishing, beauty, and fashion industries have traditionally been male dominated. Having powerful women in these industries is so important and inspiring! I love her guidelines for creative success and think they should be applied to every day life, not just to creative endeavors.
ReplyDeleteI thought Anna's principle of stepping outside of your comfort zone is very important to creative achievement, especially in fashion. Most new fashion trends and discoveries would not have been made without a designer stepping outside of their comfort zone (for example, when Women first started wearing pants), and I think this concept is applicable to so many other creative industries. For example, new medical discoveries would not be made without doctors and researchers stepping outside of their comfort zone to try new treatment methods.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Anna Wintour's "soft power" ideas, and it has always interested me as an intriguing observation. Her ability to influence the fields of fashion and entertainment, as well as her influence with celebrities, is often overlooked but cannot be understated. It could be said that Wintour has the ability to change the course of several creative fields with her "soft power", and yet no one outside of those fields seems to comprehend that power--that's what makes it "soft", as well as the fact that she is passively influencing people, or not actively telling the industry what to do but instead guiding it with her choices with Vogue. She's pretty iconic as a woman in power, no matter how behind-the-scenes she is.
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