The most influential woman in fashion is without question Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of Vogue USA. How has this tiny woman from England become the grand lady of fashion, who holds all of the strings of the industry in her hands?

I recently read an article in the Wall Street Magazine (the Wall Street Journal for cool people;)) about the reign of Wintour called Brand Anna. This article gave a little bit of insight into the secret life of Ms. Wintour, and how she has managed to make a multi-billion dollar industry run on her commands.

The article emphasizes the importance of the web of allies and connections in all areas of business, culture and politics that Wintour has built, and how crucial it is for her brand and image. Rarely can one person be influential in many areas of business and culture, but having influential friends, can provide you with all of that power.

It might seem that Wintour uses her connections and brand to better her status in the industry and make things happen for her self, but that is as far from the truth as possible. Wintour has generously rewarded all her passions such as the fashion industry, arts and politics. She has taken young designers under her wing and paired them up with major investors (Marc Jacobs and John Galliano), taken over the annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the MET in New York to support the fine arts, and raised awareness for political campaigns (such as Obama’s) by organizing and hosting charity events.

“You can make a film in Hollywood without Steven Spielberg’s blessing, and you can publish software without Bill Gates’s blessing, but you can’t succeed in fashion without Anna’s blessing”

The fashion industry has a face and a brand, and that face is Anna Wintour. Now that some personal branding we all should learn from and aim for. At lest I am!

Until next time,

Roosa xxx