I was stunned and extremely sad yesterday to hear of Franca Sozzani's passing. Sozzani, editor in chief of Vogue Italia since 1988, seemed to be healthy, happy and a formidable force at fashion weeks. but according to Ansa News Sozzani died due to long term illness. At only 66 years old it is a tragedy that she is no longer with us. In my opnion, Vogue Italia is what it is today because of Franca. Due to her leadership of the magazine, her trailblazing photo-shoots, her iconic covers and incredible foresight Vogue Italia is considered one of the best international issues of Vogue and is my favourite alongside Vogue Japan. She will be missed by many in the fashion industry and I can't think of anyone who can take the position of editor in chief of Vogue Italia other than the invincible Franca.
Franca Sozzani was born on the 20th January in Mantua, Italy and studied literature and philosophy at university in Milan- nothing whatsoever to do with fashion. She later got a job at Vogue Bambini as an assistant before becoming editor of Lei magazine. She took the reigns at Vogue Italia in 1988 making it one of the top magazines in the world. She introduced photographers and stylists like Steven Meisel and Edward Enninful to its pages and featured fashion spreads which were truly remarkable. Her 2008 'Black Issue' of the magazine only featured black models and was an international sensation with Franca bringing attention to the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. She was a regular at all the fashion shows held across New York, London, Milan and Paris and a respected figure to designers and her contemporaries alike.
Instead of Vogue Italia just reaching purely Italian audiences, Franca made the magazine so visually stunning that readers all over the world would flock to buy a copy every month - regardless of the price. Some of my favourite photo-shoots have been published in Vogue Italia, such as 'Makeover Madness' by Steven Meisel which portrays such a strong and powerful message on plastic surgery. Tributes from a whole host of celebrities such as Madonna, Kendall Jenner, Irina Shayk and Anna Wintour poured in following the news of Franca's death yesterday while others who have worked with her for years such as Peter Lindburgh and Bruce Weber paid tribute to her as an extraordinary fashion editor.
Below are some of my favourite shoots from Franca's tenure at Vogue Italia. She has already earned iconic and legendary status in the industry.
 |
| The supermodels in 1994 |
 |
| One of Sozzani's iconic covers |
 |
| A controversial Steven Meisel shoot focusing on homeland security. |
 |
| The 2008 Black Issue |
 |
| Linda Evangalista in 'Makeover Madness.' |
 |
| Putting plus size models on the cover in 2011. |
No comments:
Post a Comment