Alexandra Schulman departs - who's next in line?

Alexandra Schulman – Editor in Chief for British VOGUE announced her step down from the role she has prominently dominated for over 25 years during the Paris Couture Week at the beginning of the year. She has been a pivotal part of the Fashion Industry & VOGUE itself for over a quarter of its life & recently celebrated the 100th issue which saw the Duchess of Cambridge grace the front cover with her timeless look & natural beauty.

Almost immediately, speculation occurred as to who would be her predecessor?

Founder of “Business of Fashion” – Imran Amed stated “… this is the sort of job that only comes around once every 25 years…”, “…this isn’t just about taking on the mantle of Vogue. It is a role with huge influence and power; you become a de facto spokesperson for the entire fashion industry.”

We take a look at the key contenders not only in-house but externally who could be in line to follow on from one of the most influential women in the fashion industry & in VOGUE history.

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Emily Sheffield is already a strong candidate as she is already the British VOGUE Deputy Editor. She has worked with Alexandra for a number of years & undoubtedly has a high level of experience & knowledge in all things VOGUE.

Her most recent article published in February’s edition was one of my personal favourites & features the new DIOR Ribbon - Detail Kitten Heels.

For someone who hated kitten heels – Emily has turned this one around for me.

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Another possibility is Editor in Chief of LOVE Magazine Katie Grand – also a Conde Nast publication. She is also a consultant to brands such as Marc Jacobs &Louis Vuitton. This could be seen as an advantage to some but a conflict of interest to many.

However, in an interview with The Guardian back in 2008 she was quoted to have said

“I realised a couple of years ago that, much as I love vogue and W, the kind of magazines that are closest to my heart are the style magazines, like the Face, i-D, Interview, I find Interview magazine really inspiring…”

I wonder if she will have a change of heart?

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A former Features Editor at VOGUE – Jo Ellison is an admired candidate by the Conde Nast organisation after spending many years with the publication before leaving in 2014 to become the Financial Times Fashion Editor. During her time with VOGUE she also published the book “Vogue Gowns.” This was an overview of some of the most loved evening gowns in VOGUE history.

In a recent interview with “The Irish Examiner” – Journalist Rachel Marie Walsh wrote that she was said to have praised Schulman during her time at VOGUE for allowing her to pursue stories that weren’t so “VOGUE” so to say. One of her favourite articles centred on the Metropolitan Police’s DCI’s & goes so far to say this was her favourite feature of all time.

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With the application deadline of the 26th February quickly looming – the question of who will be the next editor of British Vogue is still very much in the forefront of everybody’s minds. Above is only a small selection of names mentioned since Schulman’s step-down; all individuals being strong competitors to become the next VOGUE Editor.

But as ever changing as the Fashion World is – could we be surprised by who is appointed? Could it in fact be a new face? A face nobody has speculated about or discussed?

Who knows?

One thing is for sure, whoever takes over from Alexandra Schulman has some rather big boots to fill; as well as a well-deserved legacy.

Alexandra will always remain the most successful Editor in VOGUE’s history.

J.E