Anna Wintour lectures at Bocconi

The twist comes at the end. When Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer Condé Nast and Global Editorial Director of Vogue, guest in the lecture hall of Bocconi in Milan, together with Edward Enninful, Editor in chief British Vogue and European Editorial Director Vogue, Simone Marchetti, director of Vanity Fair Italy and European Editorial Director Vanity Fair, and Francesca Ragazzi, Head of Editorial Content of Vogue Italia, for a lesson on publishing, goes down among the students.

The meeting is officially over.

Someone begins to leave. But she, who has just explained how important in life “not to be afraid and take risks”, goes back, gets off the stage and is surrounded by a confused and enthusiastic tide of Bocconians. And thus he responds, off the cuff, to their thousand curiosities, while the boys shoot videos and take pictures frantically with their smartphones. The students force their way through, they want to see her up close, listen to her voice, the voice of a woman who has become a legend, and understand from her what the future of publishing and fashion will be: their future.

“Thank you all for inviting me today. It is wonderful to be here in person after almost two years on Zoom ». It was always she, Anna Wintour, who opened the meeting with a touching and inspired speech. The rector introduced the lesson Gianmario Verona and dialogue with the directors and the professors of Bocconi Paola Cillo (Associate Dean for Research, SDA Bocconi), Gabriella Lojacono (director EMiLUX, SDA Bocconi) e Emanuela Prandelli (MAFED director, SDA Bocconi).

«The pandemic», continued Anna Wintour, «has changed many aspects of our life, our habits, our routines, our ways of working. We had to rethink everything we once took for granted, and it became clear that the frantic speed many of us were used to is simply not healthy. Slowing down is a necessary thing. We all need to create more meaningful connections in our professional, personal and creative lives. And we have to think about what we could change as we return hopefully, to a semblance of normality ».

An intervention in which he ranged from the future of our company, to the role of Condé Nast and the need for change, from his mentors, to the importance of new media and information that is becoming increasingly global.

«At Condé Nast», he said, «we want to create communities not only with our colleagues but also with our audience, and this is where great stories, journalism and the creation of images come into play.. The best creative work, inspiring, innovative and surprising work creates a sense of connection: a bond. The public wants to be impressed and excited by what they read and see and when they are, they feel involved and come back for more. The audience is global. He wants stories that speak of the lives he is living but also stories that capture the breadth of the world. What matters is to tell a story. On the cover of the magazine or on the Internet, what matters is the story and the way you tell. You have to be, incisive, direct and clear. Nothing is more irritating for us but also for the public than watching a video, a photo or reading a piece and not understanding what you are trying to say.».

This phase, explains Anna Wintour, is only the beginning of a revolution based on the great values ​​of Condé Nast: diversity, inclusivity, comunity, creativity respect and what diversity does is quality. “This is just the starting point, and it’s all extremely exciting. I have been in this business for a long time and I come from a family of journalists. My father was the editor of the Evening Standard and I remember when he left his family during a vacation in Venice to pursue his own story. Today that world of journalism still matters, but it has gotten a lot bigger. And the opportunities are much more exciting ».

Edward Enninful of the same opinion. «In the past we had only one way of communicating, essentially the magazine, now there are so many platforms: the website, social networks, videos, audio. Today the world is so different and our content is being amplified and has to adapt to different platforms. Not only that, we are in a new world. We have to look at things differently. We need to make room for people of different ages, of different sizes. What the Back Live Matters movement and the Me Too have taught us is that real change has to take place. You have to hire black people, you have to work behind the scenes, you need scholarships. It’s easy to put them on shows or commercials, but we need the people behind the scenes. A multitude of voices can better explain the world than a single vision. Even at work, every day is a continuous exchange: I teach my colleagues, my team, but I also learn a lot from them ».

Share her words Francesca Ragazzi, fresh Head of Editorial Content of Vogue Italy, which explains how exciting it is to work with international teams and how important it is «Create content that is true and full of meaning. If you don’t hear this truth, the story loses its meaning and power ».

Simone Marchetti also remembers how the Condé Nast has always been a place of pioneers. «I think that today more than ever we need to be pioneers. When the pandemic arrived, one thing was clear: when things are worse, the only way to make them go better is to dream bigger. And that’s what we did last year with Vanity Fair: Can’t we put movie stars on cover? We ask an Academy Award-winning director to direct the magazine. Can’t we put in a musician because we don’t make music? We ask an extraordinary artist to represent what we are experiencing. And so our torn flag was born. This is our task today: to be pioneers ».

Be pioneers, without fear of change. Without fear of mistakes. Because as Anna Wintour teaches us, once again: “We all make mistakes, because life isn’t perfect, but sometimes we learn more from mistakes than from successes.”