Anna Wintour Steps Down After Decades at Vogue
After nearly four decades at the helm of American Vogue, Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor-in-chief, signaling the end of an era that reshaped the fashion industry. While she’ll relinquish her day-to-day editorial role at Vogue, Wintour will remain chief content officer for Condé Nast and global editorial director for Vogue worldwide. Wintour shared the news with staff during an editorial meeting earlier this week. Her expanded role will allow her to focus more evenly on Condé Nast’s titles around the world, which include Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Architectural Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appétit, Tatler, World of Interiors, and Allure. The New Yorker remains under the leadership of David Remnick. Wintour joined Vogue in 1988, taking over from Grace Mirabella, and quickly made headlines with her debut cover featuring model Michaela Bercu in a pair of $50 jeans and a $10,000 Christian Lacroix sweater, a stark break from Vogue’s traditionally polished aesthetic. Throughout her tenure, she shattered fashion magazine norms, including featuring a man—Richard Gere—on the cover alongside his then-wife, Cindy Crawford. Her departure comes as Condé Nast continues refining its global editorial structure, a process that began four years ago to unify teams across markets. The search for Vogue’s new head of editorial content is underway, with nominees yet to be announced. Despite stepping back from American Vogue, Wintour remains a formidable force in fashion media and will continue as co-chair of the Met Gala, which raised a record-breaking $31 million this year for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. [WWD]
Balenciaga by Demna Exhibition Opens
A new exhibition in Paris, “Balenciaga by Demna,” showcases the Georgian designer’s personal wardrobe, voice, and decade-defining creations at the Parisian house. The show includes a retrospective look at his fashion show invitations, tiny windows into his wry commentary on luxury, and a rejection letter from 2007, when Demna, then a student at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, applied for a menswear internship at Balenciaga. “We’ve carefully reviewed your application and, after consideration, we will not be moving forward with your candidacy at this time,” the letter reads—a striking reminder of how far he’s come since being turned away as an intern. Demna is set to conclude his tenure on July 9, 2025, with a final Balenciaga couture show before officially becoming creative director at Gucci. The exhibition is open from now until July 9th, and includes some of his most talked-about designs, like a blue leather duffel reminiscent of Ikea’s Frakta carryall, and his $925 towel skirt. [WWD]
Rick Owens Unveils a Temple to Self-Love at Palais Galliera
After a daredevil show, Rick Owens’ monumental vision took center stage at Palais Galliera with Porterville, A Temple of Love, a rare deep-dive into the designer’s world that’s equal parts brutalist sculpture and sacred self-portrait. Named after his California hometown, the exhibition spans decades of Owens’ work, from early sketches to his signature 3-D silhouettes, and a life-like statue of Owens urinating into a metal trough. Rated R for raunchy. Breaking down his forever inspirations like Joseph Beuys and the Jugendstil art movement, the scene is set within an immersive space that Owens personally designed that spans over 150 pieces, including looks worn by his wife and muse Michèle Lamy. Porterville explores themes of devotion, identity, and transformation, with the show offering a glimpse into the mind of fashion’s high priest of darkness—on his own terms. The show is open through January 4, 2026. [WWD]
Fantastic Man Launches In China
Dutch menswear and lifestyle magazine Fantastic Man is launching a Chinese edition, which will debut digitally before releasing its first print issue in September. Fantastic Man China will be published bimonthly by Chinese fashion media company MC Style Media Group, known for titles like W China and Marie Claire China, in collaboration with Shanghai Translation Publishing House, a leading publisher of translated works in China. Marking MC Style Media’s first venture into menswear, Fantastic Man China will spotlight influential figures from both Eastern and Western cultures. The magazine will also launch two Xiaohongshu accounts during Men’s Fashion Week. Italian fashion designer Stefano Pilati, former creative director of Saint Laurent, joins Fantastic Man China as editor-at-large. Former Wallpaper China editor-in-chief Jiacheng Guo will serve as editorial director, reporting to MC Style Media Group CEO Alex Sun and chief content officer and W China editor-in-chief Mix Wei. [BoF]
Eric McNeal on 15 Years of Styling, Stillness, and Storytelling Through Clothes
With over 15 years in the fashion industry, stylist Eric McNeal has cemented his place as a visual storyteller who moves with intent, reverence, and care. As a Bed-Stuy native with Southern roots, McNeal’s work lives where history meets imagination, styling editorials for WSJ, GQ, and his May 2025 Vogue cover with longtime client Lewis Hamilton. Models.com contributor Shelton Boyd Griffith caught up with McNeal to talk about finding stillness, this year’s monumental Met Gala, and Black legacy. Find the full interview here.
Movement Director MJ Harper on the Memory Held in Motion
My movement direction is an extension of my art and performance practice.” Movement Director MJ Harper grew up in the theater working with institutions like Alvin Ailey II, Komische Oper, and learning from mentors like Wayne McGregor. Coming from Jamaica, where dance and music are culturally integral, dancing has always been a part of his DNA. For this Behind the Image, the creative spoke to Models.com about transitioning from modeling to movement direction, working with clients like Tom Ford, Setchu, and Martine Rose, and how the movement director role has evolved in the industry as a necessity. Find the full interview here.
Model of the Week: Rafe Crane-Robinson Ended Her Show Season With Miu Miu
“It was a complete surprise when I was scouted in a state of disarray at a music festival. Clearly I am made for this.” Learn more about Model of the Week, Rafe Crane-Robinson from Chichester, UK, who has had a big start to her career with J.W. Anderson and her latest Miu Miu moment. Photographed by Ania Brudna, find her interview here.
MDC Selects: Meet the Rookies Who Find Pride in Their Own Story
Meet the rookies who find pride in their own stories. See who was discovered at 13 on Oxford Street, who grew up in a coastal city, and who lost all their stuff in Mexico City and got stranded for a week. Click the link here to meet these new faces and more.
And don’t miss our fashion week content including A Day in the Life with Cheikh Dia at Giorgio Armani and Zaram Obasi at Wales Bonner, plus our Runway Spotlight on Louis Vuitton, and the latest in model street style by Melodie Jeng.
