By Tatum France-Kelly
(Chloe Malle: New Editor of Vogue)
On Sept 1, Chloe Malle was officially appointed as the newest editor for American Vogue. Anna Wintour’s choice to surrender her role came after 37 years in the position. However, the change is not as straightforward as a simple baton passing. Malle is now the “head of editorial content,” and Wintour remains the magazine’s chief content officer.
Malle grew up in Los Angeles and New York City, earning a degree in literary arts and comparative literature at Brown University. After graduating, she became an intern at the New York Observer. She began working at Vogue in 2011 as the magazine’s Social Editor, eventually being appointed as the editor of the Vogue website in 2023. Her success is quantifiable, with web traffic doubling in the years following her promotion to website editor.
Malle is the daughter of director Louis Malle and actress Candice Bergen. With the recent uptick in conversation about nepotism in celebrity culture, some may question the choice to appoint her as editor of Vogue.
The new wave of so-called “nepo babies” seem to dominate recent pop culture, and it’s become increasingly important that the career advantages associated with famous or influential parents are recognized. Malle is cognizant of her privilege and how she has benefited from her parents’ careers. In an interview with Jessica Testa of Vogue, Malle expressed a desire to prove herself as “more than Candice Bergen’s daughter.”
Malle has promised a swath of changes to Vogue’s operations. She believes in simplifying the magazine. She wants to release issues at a slower pace, with higher quality material more akin to that of a collectors item.
She has also expressed interest in developing a smaller audience and appealing more to the magazine’s niche. Though Vogue currently publishes breaking news celebrity stories, the articles that see the most web-traffic are the analytical and slow-paced pieces focused on analyzing fashion or celebrity events.
In the age of the internet, both fashion and media have changed so much that some may question the feasibility of Malle’s approach. Shein adds roughly 1.3 million new products to its catalogue each year, the rise of TikTok has led to the development of micro-trends and an estimated 2 million news articles are published every day online. However, the rapid pace of modern life may be the exact reason Malle proposes Vogue slow down.
Nostalgia and longing for the fashion and glamour of the 1990s and 2000s has been a constant theme of the 2020s. Low-rise jeans are in and shows like “Sex and the City”, “Gossip Girl” and “Friends” are in constant discussion within online spaces. Modern audiences crave the feeling of luxury that Vogue originally provided, especially in a climate where not only clothing, but news as well, seems mass produced and flimsy. Malle’s aim to return to Vogue’s original reputation is a capitalization on the idealizing of the 2000s, and one Wintour clearly has faith in.
Only time will tell if Malle’s new direction will spell success. However, she isn’t alone yet. With Wintour in her corner, Malle’s leadership is sure to be a new chapter for Vogue.
Sources:
Testa, Jessica. “Vogue Names Chloe Malle as Its New Editor.” The New York Times, 2 Sept. 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/business/media/vogue-chloe-malle-new-editor.html. Accessed 16 Sept. 2025.
Vogue. “Chloe Malle Announced as Vogue US’s New Head of Editorial Content.” Vogue, 2 Sept. 2025, www.vogue.com/article/chloe-malle-announced-as-vogue-us-new-head-of-editorial-content.
Ahmed, Tanvir. “How Many New Styles Does Shein Have?” Sylvan Apparel, 28 July 2025, sylvanapparel.com/how-many-new-styles-does-shein-have.
Usearch.com, 2024, usearch.com/blog/how-many-news-articles-are-published-daily-on-the-web.