Franca Sozzani Has Died

Franca Sozzani, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia since 1988, has died after a year-long illness. Sozzani was known for her pioneering themed issues of Vogue which pushed boundaries and asked questions about the perception of beauty in fashion.

A literature and philosophy graduate, Sozzani began her career at Vogue Bambini where she began building a network of creatives with whom she would work for more than 30 years. Her relationship with photographer Steven Meisel was among her closest collaborations, and she broke conventions in the industry by enlisting him to shoot every cover of Vogue Italia during her tenure. Despite this she also championed the work of other photographers – including Bruce Weber and Peter Lindbergh – and was credited, at least in part, for turning a group of in-demand models in to what we now consider to be the concept of “the supermodels”. A keen philanthropist, Sozzani worked as a United Nations goodwill ambassador, and has been recognised for her fundraising with many awards over the years.

“Franca was one of the greatest editors who ever made a magazine,” Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast, said today. “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.”

The British fashion industry honoured her earlier this month when she received the Swarovski Award for Positive Change at the British Fashion Awards, which was presented by her long-time friend Tom Ford.

“Franca was one of those people who really was legendary," British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman said. "Powerful, beautiful, intelligent and creatively adventurous, she was the perfect archetype of a Vogue editor and will be very much missed by those who have worked with her and admired her for many years.”

“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,” Newhouse added. “I loved and admired her, and I will miss her terribly. The fashion world in mourning.”

Sozzani is survived by her son, Francesco Carrozzini, a photographer and director, who was with her when she died.