A longtime figurehead of the British fashion industry will be stepping down in June. Business of Fashion reports that Alexandra Shulman, who has been the editor-in-chief of British Vogue for 25 years — which is practically a century in magazine time! — is parting ways with the title. “It has been very hard to find a rational reason to leave what is unquestionably a fascinating and rewarding role,” Shulman told the site, “but last autumn I realized that I very much wanted to experience a different life and look forward to a future separate to Vogue.”
There was no word on her replacement, but according to a release from the magazine, “An announcement regarding a successor will be made in due course.”
Prior to her time at Vogue, Shulman was the editor of British GQ, and also spent time at Tatler and the Sunday Telegraph. During her Vogue tenure, Shulman brought the magazine to its highest circulation ever. She has been a fierce critic of fashion’s sizeism, penning a letter to designers calling out “miniscule” sample sizes in 2009 and, last month, opening up about the brands that refused to dress plus-size Ashley Graham for her cover. This past November, she published an all “real woman” issue that included profiles of CEOs, philanthropists, and transit engineers.
Just as fiercely as she critiqued the industry’s failings, she threw her support behind London talents like Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane early on, and urged designers to show in the British capital. Yes, she was also behind this “yak chic” photo shoot, but hey, nobody’s perfect.
