British Vogue is a British fashion magazine based in London and first published in 1916. It is the British edition of the American magazine Vogue and is owned and distributed by Condé Nast. Currently edited by Chioma Nnadi, British Vogue is said to link fashion to high society and class, teaching its readers how to 'assume a distinctively chic and modern appearance'.[3]
British Vogue is a magazine whose success is based upon its advertising rather than its sales revenue. In 2007, it ran 2,020 pages of advertising at an average of £16,000 a page. It is deemed to be more commercial than other editions of Vogue.[4] British Vogue is the most profitable British magazine as well as the most profitable edition of Vogue besides the US and China editions.[5]
History
During the First World War, Condé Nast, Vogue's publisher, had to deal with restrictions on overseas shipping as well as paper shortages in America. The British edition of Vogue was the answer to this problem, providing Vogue fashion coverage in the British Isles when it was not practicable to receive it in the usual way. Under the London edition's second editor, Elspeth Champcommunal (1888–1976),[6] the magazine was essentially the same as the American edition, except for its British English spellings. However, Champcommunal thought it important that Vogue be more than a fashion magazine. It featured articles on 'society and sporting news... Health and beauty advice... travelogues... and editorials', making it a 'skillfully mixed cocktail'.[7] Champcommunal held her editorial position until 1922.
Under its next editor, Dorothy Todd, a renowned Vogue editor due to her boldness, especially in her movement to blend the arts and fashion, the magazine shifted its focus from fashion to literature, featuring articles from Clive Bell about art exhibitions in Paris. There were also notable features from noted English writers such as Virginia Woolf and Aldous Huxley.[8] Due to Todd's changes, the magazine lost much of its audience, and she spent only four years as editor.[9] British Vogue is not believed to have really taken off until after its third editor, Alison Settle, was appointed in 1926.
Under Audrey Withers (editor from 1940 to 1960), the magazine again took a literary direction, and during the Second World War it even took part in reporting the war. In 1944, the American photographer Lee Miller persuaded Withers to send her to Normandy to produce an article on wartime nursing; Miller then followed the Allied advance through Europe, reporting the liberation of Paris and sending a story from Buchenwald.[10] Dame Anna Wintour edited the British edition from 1985 to 1987, before taking over House & Garden (which she renamed 'HG'), and subsequently Vogue in New York City. Liz Tilberis served as Editor-in-Chief of the magazine until 1992, when she became Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar in New York City.
Alexandra Shulman was Editor-in-Chief of the magazine from 1992 to 2017. When Shulman was editor, the magazine drew more than a million readers. Shulman was known for developing collector's issues of British Vogue, such as the 'Gold Millennium Issue' where celebrities and supermodels such as Kate Moss featured on the cover. Shulman was also praised for her use of up and coming photographers like Mario Testino. [citation needed] Shulman became known for her attempt to change the face of fashion.[citation needed] She pushed designers to stop using 'size-zero' models.[citation needed] In 2016, Shulman collaborated with photographer Josh Olins to shoot Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on the cover of Vogue's centenary issue. The photographs were subsequently featured in the National Portrait Gallery, London[11] The magazine under Shulman was the subject of Richard Macer's behind-the-scenes BBC documentary, Absolutely Fashion: Inside British Vogue (2016).[citation needed]
Edward Enninful was confirmed as the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue on 10 April 2017.[12]Condé Nast International Chairman and CEO Jonathan Newhouse announced him as the successor to Alexandra Shulman, calling Enninful "an influential figure in the communities of fashion, Hollywood and music which shape the cultural zeitgeist", adding that "by virtue of his talent and experience, Edward is supremely prepared to assume the responsibility of British Vogue". Enninful's first issue as editor-in-chief was 2017's December issue, featuring British model and activist Adwoa Aboah on the cover.[13] The magazine's September 2020 triple gatefold cover featured pictures of 20 activists often associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, including Marcus Rashford and Adwoa Aboah. The Activism Now edition was photographed by Misan Harriman and was the first British Vogue cover taken by a black man in the magazine's 104-year history (Nadine Ijewere was the first black female to take a cover photograph).[14] Actress Dame Judi Dench became the oldest person at age 85 to be featured on the June 2020 cover.[15] In 2022, actor Timothée Chalamet became the first, solo male print cover star, in the magazine's history.
In June 2023, Enninful announced his departure from the magazine and his last cover was the March 2024 issue.[16]
Chioma Nnadi succeeded Enninful as editor, and was the first Black woman to be head of editorial content at the publication.[17]
^König A. (2006). Glossy Words: An Analysis of Fashion Writing in British Vogue. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 10(1/2), 205–224.
^Mahood, A., Fashioning Readers: The avant garde and British Vogue, 1920-9 in Women, 13 (1) (2002), pp. 37–47
^Aldous Huxley: Selected Letters". p. 144. Ivan R. Dee, 2007
^[Reed, C. (2006). A Vogue That Dare Not Speak its Name: Sexual Subculture During the Editorship of Dorothy Todd, 1922–26. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 10(1/2), 39–71.]
