‘Dissent is not enough’: Wintour on politics
Famed fashion editor on Trump, Theresa May and whether she’ll feature Melania in Vogue and was even rumoured to have been in the running for an ambassadorial role at one stage.
Nearly six months on, though, she is forthright, yet pragmatic about what Trump’s administration will mean. “There’s no point about whining or complaining or screaming.
The country voted. So what can we do now to be most helpful and to also stand up for what we believe in?” she says, quoting designer Diane von Furstenberg, in the Business of Fashion profile. “Dissent is not enough.”
Like many Wintour was in New York society, acquainted with the Trump family long before The Donald’spoliticalrise.Sheisgracious regardingtheFirstDaughter,Ivanka, who has taken a p0rominent role at the White House since January.
“Ivanka has had a long history with the magazine, and I have respect for Ivanka and everything that she has achieved.”
Despite her personal opposition to the new administration, Wintour promises that Vogue’s coverage will continue in the vein of its heritage.
“It doesn’t mean that we are necessarily agreeing with everything that they say, but a lot of the country does,” she explains, adding that a cover shoot with First Lady Melania Trump is not off the cards.
“We always photograph or cover in some way the first ladies, so … I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t at some point cover the first lady.”
American Vogue’s most recent coup was pipping its British counterpart to the post in interviewing and photographing the Prime Minister, Theresa May.
“Going back to Vogue having that sense of responsibility to reflect the time, that a woman is prime minister in Britain, which is our great ally, for the first time since Margaret Thatcher,” says London-born Wintour of why she featured the Prime Minister, who once chose a Vogue subscription as her Desert Island Discs luxury item.
“We know that our readers are interestedinpolitics,weknowthey’re interested in women, we know they’re interested in the world, so of course, she was a natural fit for us.”
Wintour is renowned for her precise uniform; a mid-length dress or skirt, often with a dainty cardigan or fur coat layered over the top, those ubiquitous sunglasses and an unwavering dedication to Manolo Blahnik heels.
“To me, fashion is ceaselessly fascinating because it is an expression of self,” she tells BoF, expressing joy at the current vogue for dressing up for street-style photographers fashion shows.
“I find [the photos] very, very inspiring and fun — and thank god they’re not all dressed in black the way they used to be. I like seeing people making such an effort and having so much fun with it.”
The industry has also come under increasing pressure to feature a more diverse cast of models, with many brands and publications now embracing different ages, sizes and ethnicities.
“We have to reflect the world that we live in. I think fashion, and I count us within that too, has been guilty of being too narrow-minded,” she admits. “Thank god that’s changing. I think it’s wonderful.” outside Read the full article in The Business of Fashion. This interview is part of BoF’s special print issue “America”, sold online at shop.businessoffashion.com and at select global retailers