Fashion lost one of its best today. Legendary Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani passed away at age 66 in Milan, Vogue reported.
Sozzani was born in northern Italy in 1950, and began her journalism career at Vogue Bambini in 1976. Less than 10 years later, in 1988, she took the helm at Vogue Italia. She is widely credited as one of the masterminds behind the 90s supermodel phenom, and was a loyal collaborator of photographers like Steven Meisel, Bruce Weber, and Peter Lindbergh. Some of her best-known contributions at the title include publishing the Black Issue in 2008, exclusively showing women of color in shots by Meisel, and launching Vogue Curvy in 2011, an offshoot of Vogue dedicated to plus-size bloggers.
American Vogue EIC Anna Wintour remembered her longtime colleague and friend in an open letter today. “In private, Franca was warm, clever, funny, and someone who could give the Sphinx a run for its money when it comes to keeping a confidence,” she wrote. “She was also the hardest-working person I have known, and with an envy-inducing ease with multitasking. She made everything she worked on appear effortless, regardless of whether it was an event for several hundred; a whirlwind trip to Africa to support the continent’s emerging designers; or the creation of yet another newsworthy, provocative, and utterly spellbinding issue of Italian Vogue.”
Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast, shared the news on the Vogue Italia website, writing, “This is the saddest news I have ever had to report to you.” He said that she died with her son Francesco Carrozzini by her side.
Earlier this year, Sozzani’s son, a filmmaker and artist (who happens to be dating Wintour’s daughter Bee Shaffer), released a biopic documenting his mother’s life. Franca: Chaos and Creation took six years to make and gives an up-close look at her 28 years as editor-in-chief. “You need to be light in life,” Sozzani said in the film. “Lightness for me is when being profound allows you to fly high.” She will be dearly missed.
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- VENICE, ITALY – JUNE 04: Franca Sozzani attends the Bruce Nauman dinner party hosted by Missoni on the boat ‘Timoteo’ during the 2009 Venice Biennale on June 4, 2009 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
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- MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 26: Anna Wintour and Franca Sozzani attend the Vogue.it Milan Fashion Week Womenswear Autumn/Winter 2010 show on February 26, 2010 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage)
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- PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 26: (L-R) Franca Sozzani, Anna Wintour and Diego Della Valle attend the Schiaparelli show as part of Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2015 on January 26, 2015 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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- VENICE, ITALY – AUGUST 27: Franca Sozzani and her son Francesco Carrozzini attend the Uomo Vogue Cocktail Party during the 70th Venice International Film Festival at the Terrazza Maserati on August 27, 2013 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage)
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- PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 03: Franca Sozzani attends the Saint Laurent show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015 on March 3, 2014 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/WireImage)
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- SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 26: Editor in Chief of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue Franca Sozzani poses at a press conference to launch World Wide Wool and L’Umomo Vogue in partnership with Woolmark Company at Sydney Town Hall on March 26, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images)
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- Franca Sozzani, attends the Gala event during the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience 2015 (Getty Images)
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- NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 10: Editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia Franca Sozzani (R) and son Francesco Carrozzini attend the amfAR Inspiration Gala New York 2014 at The Plaza Hotel on June 10, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
