Vogue veteran Stephen Quinn to retire after 26 years
Stephen Quinn, the publishing director of British Vogue, is retiring from the fashion publisher after more than 26 years.
Stephen Quinn, the publishing director of British Vogue, is retiring after 26 years
He will continue in his role until the 22 December. News regarding his successor will be announced shortly.
Quinn, who is now in his seventies, joined Condé Nast in 1988 from Hearst (Nat Mags in those days) to launch British GQ. Four years later, in 1992, he oversaw his first issue of Vogue as publishing director, with then editor Liz Tilberis. That same year Alexandra Shulman left her role as editor of GQ to join Vogue as editor. Quinn's and Shulman's working relationship lasted more than a quarter of a century.
Albert Read, managing director of Condé Nast Britain, said Quinn is a "strident defender" of the fashion bible, and an executive "who relishes a battle".
"One of the great characters of the media industry, respected and loved by all his staff and those who work alongside him, Vogue House and the fashion and media industries will miss the ebullient and very mighty Quinn," Read said.
Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of Condé Nast Britain, said Quinn has sold more glossy advertising “than anyone else alive in Britain today”, amounting to 42,600 display ad pages, while securing total ad revenues in excess of £430m during his tenure at the publisher.
“He is, without doubt, the senior advertising honcho in the magazine industry – a distinguished negotiator and business operator known to every client, to every brand president and MD, to every agency – in London, in Milan, Paris and New York,” Coleridge said.
Commenting on his departure from the fashion bible, Quinn said: “It’s been a privilege to champion Vogue with intensity, passion and ferocity. I’ve relished every day in the office, every skirmish with an agency, every meeting with a client. I will leave Vogue in the strongest position possible and with a crack commercial team in place.
"2018 will be my time, but first I’m looking forward to ensuring the December issue, the debut under the editorship of Edward Enninful, is a blockbuster from a commercial perspective, and will relish securing every possible business opportunity between now and the end of this year.”
The departure of Quinn comes as British Vogue undergoes a period of great change following the appointment of Edward Enninful as editor in April.
In June Enninful made his first hire in Venetia Scott, stylist and fashion photographer, who became fashion director of the magazine. Scott replaced Lucinda Chambers who in July alleged she was fired from the title in a venomous interview that saw her call out the fashion industry for its 'irrelevance' as well as its seemingly murky relationship with advertisers.