How a weekly society paper became the most powerful name in fashion media.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 15 November 2026
How did Vogue begin?
As a weekly society paper for New York’s upper class, founded by Arthur Baldwin Turnure in 1892. In 1909 the publisher Condé Montrose Nast bought it and turned it into a women’s fashion magazine. Under the long-serving editor Edna Woolman Chase, it became the reference for what fashionable women wore.
When did Vogue go international?
British Vogue launched in 1916, when the First World War made shipping magazines across the Atlantic difficult, and French Vogue followed in 1920. Many more editions followed, including Vogue Italia, Vogue Japan and Vogue India, launched in 2007. Vogue now publishes around 28 editions worldwide.
What is Anna Wintour’s role now?
Wintour edited American Vogue from 1988. In 2025 she stepped back from running it day to day but remains Condé Nast’s chief content officer and Vogue’s global editorial director. Chloe Malle, previously editor of Vogue.com, became head of editorial content at American Vogue in September 2025, reporting to Wintour; the old title of editor-in-chief was retired. See the legendary editors.
What is Vogue today?
A global media brand as much as a magazine: print editions alongside websites, video, podcasts, events and the Met Gala, which American Vogue’s leadership has run for decades. Vogue Runway (formerly Style.com) is the industry’s main archive of show photographs. Print circulation has fallen, and the focus is shifting to fewer, more collectable print issues and a larger digital audience.
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