Franca Sozzani, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia passed away yesterday at 66 years old. The cause is an undisclosed year-long illness. She passed in the city of Milan with her son Francesco by her side.
It’s a great loss in the fashion industry as Franca is known for her great work ethic, passion, and creativity. Condé Nast International’s chairman and chief executive Jonathan Newhouse posted his tribute on the magazine’s website yesterday, “Franca was one of the greatest editors who ever made a magazine. She was by far the most talented, influential and important person within the Condé Nast International organization. She made Italian Vogue a powerful and influential voice in the worlds of fashion and photography by publishing ground-breaking photography and journalism.”
Franca not only worked as the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue, but she also served as the editorial director of Condé Nast Italy. She is also the Ambassador to Fashion for the United Nations and spent a great deal of her personal life fighting against hunger in poor countries.
“Like all great editors she had an understanding of the business realities, and her grasp of these realities enabled her to drive Vogue to the highest levels. As an editor she was focused, demanding, open to ideas and experiment and extremely tough, especially with herself. She never stopped pushing contributors and the people around her to do more and better. As a human being she was honest, funny, warm, and possessed a sense of irony and humility.”
Our hearts are breaking. Rest in peace, Franca.
Photo courtesy of Paolo Ferrari and Peter Lindbergh for Vogue Italia
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