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A Tribute to Franca Sozzani by Jonathan Newhouse

Franca Sozzani tribute by Jonathan Newhouse

Franca Sozzani photographed by Paolo Ferrari

Franza Sozzani, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia since 1988, died on December 22, 2016 after a year-long illness. Sozzani was celebrated as a boundary-pushing editor who challenged the industry’s perceptions of beauty, fashion, and celebrity in her themed issues of Vogue Italia. Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast International, worked with Sozzani since 1989 and shares a tribute to his colleague and friend.

Franca Sozzani

This is the saddest news I have ever had to report to you. Franca Sozzani, the Editor of Italian Vogue for 28 years, died today in Milan after a year-long illness with her son Francesco by her side. It is an incalculable loss for Vogue and for the fashion world along with the many people around the world whose lives she touched — readers, photographers, journalists, fashion designers and professionals, and people around the world whom she met through her role at the United Nations.

Franca was one of the greatest Editors who ever made a magazine. She was by far the most talented, influential and important person within the Condé Nast International organisation. She made Italian Vogue a powerful and influential voice in the worlds of fashion and photography by publishing ground-breaking photography and journalism. In doing so she expanded Vogue beyond what had been the traditional model of a fashion magazine and often courted controversy by doing so. The greatest fashion photographers looked to Franca as the creative leader who would give them the freedom and the scope to produce their best work and they did so, month after month.

Those who had the good luck to know and work with Franca loved, respected and admired her. She demanded the highest level of performance from those around her, and they gave it. Like all great editors she had an understanding of the business realities, and her grasp of these realities enabled her to drive Vogue to the highest levels. As an editor she was focused, demanding, open to ideas and experiment and extremely tough, especially with herself. She never stopped pushing contributors and the people around her to do more and better. As a human being she was honest, funny, warm and possessed a sense of irony and humility.

While Italian Vogue and L’Uomo Vogue were the focus of her professional life, she also had been Editorial Director of Condé Nast Italy since 1994. In recent years she also served as the Ambassador to Fashion for the United Nations, a mission which took her around the world to bring support to the fashion world and the people behind it in places like Africa, Asia and regions beyond the usual fashion venues. In her UN role she also joined the fight against hunger in poor countries and helped raise awareness of the issue along with money. She carried out these activities with deep commitment and energy.

On a personal level I had the great privilege to work with Franca since 1989, and it was a collaboration which animated my professional life. I loved and admired her, and I will miss her terribly. The fashion world in mourning. My thoughts and prayers go out to her son Francesco, her sister Carla, her niece Sara and all of us who knew her and were touched by her. We are heartbroken.

Jonathan Newhouse

22nd December 2016

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