In the second of our series, taking a look at some of the UK’s and, in this case, the world’s behemoths of the publishing industry, we’re turning our eye to Condé Nast… timelessly a la mode and perhaps best known for flagship title, Vogue.
Beyond this, some of its most-read publications include GQ, House & Garden, Glamour, LOVE, Architectural Digest, Tatler, Vanity Fair, World Of Interiors and WIRED.
Founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, after he purchased a weekly society gazette from New York called Vogue. He launched two more magazines hot on its heels, which are still darlings of the publishing world. Vanity Fair launched in 1913, followed by British Vogue in 1916, making Condé Nast the first to publish international editions.
In 1939, three years after the first full-colour photographic cover to feature in Vogue, Condé Nast launched Glamour magazine before Samuel Irving Newhouse acquired the publishing house in the 1950s.
In 1988, the rise of one of Condé Nast’s most iconic employees began with the debut of Anna Wintour’s first Vogue cover. Today, she’s Dame Anna Wintour OBE and reportedly takes an annual salary of $2 million. The British media executive is based in New York City. She has served as editor-in-chief of Vogue for 34 years and has been Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020. Furthermore, she is also the artistic director of Condé Nast and the Global Editorial Director of Vogue.
Fast-forward to the noughties, and Condé Nast is still breaking barriers. In 2007, it launched Vogue India and became the first international publishing company to enter the Indian market with 100 per cent ownership. In 2010, its publications GQ and Wired were among the first magazines available as a digital edition on the iPad.
Condé Nast has a footprint of over 1 billion consumers in 32 markets today. Including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Latin America, Spain, Taiwan, the UK and the US – through print, digital, video and social platforms, and remains home to some of the world’s most iconic brands.
