GC Editor-in-Chief Speaks: Fashion media leadership after Anna Wintour

Anna Wintour attends RALPH LAUREN Fall Winter 2022 Runway.

(Video by Ralph Lauren)

For nearly four decades, she didn't just run a magazine - she orchestrated cultural conversations. That famous first cover with Michaela Bercu in jeans wasn't just fashion; it was a statement about democratizing luxury. When she championed emerging designers like McQueen and Galliano, she wasn't just showcasing clothes; she was investing in creative vision. Her influence extended from Hollywood red carpets to political fundraisers because she understood something fundamental: style is never just about what you wear. It's about how you see the world.

But here's where I believe we must diverge from her path. Wintour's power came from distance - from being the crown-like figure who pronounced judgment from behind sunglasses and a perfectly coiffed bob. That mystique worked in an era when access was scarce and authority was centralized. Today, that same distance feels like disconnection.

The Gent.

At GC, we're attempting something more vulnerable: editorial leadership that doesn't hide behind institutional walls. When we launched our Ask The Gent column, it wasn't just about answering questions on etiquette or style. It was about creating a dialogue - a space where the editorial voice becomes conversational rather than declarative. Where we admit that sometimes we're figuring things out alongside our readers.

This isn't about abandoning editorial standards- quite the opposite. It's about raising them. Anyone can tell you what's trending. But it takes genuine curation to explore why certain ideas, aesthetics, and values endure. Why does a well-tailored suit still command respect in a casual world? Why do we still find meaning in rituals of lineage when society tells us such things are outdated? Why does craftsmanship matter when everything is disposable?

These aren't rhetorical questions. They're the inquiries that drive our editorial calendar, our feature stories, our very reason for existing. When we profile a master watchmaker or a bespoke dining, we're not just celebrating refinement - we're documenting the quiet rebellion of those who choose substance over spectacle.

I often think about the weight of legacy media and how it shaped our understanding of authority. Wintour didn't just edit fashion; she edited culture itself. But that kind of singular influence feels increasingly impossible - and perhaps, increasingly undesirable. The future of editorial leadership, I believe, lies not in replacing her model but in evolving it.

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What if influence became more distributed? Akin to more bitcoin, less Caesar? What if editorial authority came not from mystery but from transparency? What if the most powerful thing we could do as high-culture curators was to invite our readers into the process and journey - to show them not just what we think, but how we think?

This is the experiment we're conducting at GC. We're building something that feels both timeless and contemporary - a platform where Asian sophistication meets global perspective, where tradition converses with innovation, where the very definition of "gentleman" expands to include not just how one dresses, but how one thinks, acts, and contributes to the world.

The skeptic in me wonders if we're naive to attempt this. The lifestyle media landscape is littered with publications that tried to bridge old and new, only to fall into the gap between them. But the optimist in me -the part that believes in the power of t - thinks we might be onto something.

Anna Wintour and Giorgio Armani.

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Because here's what I've learned in my 7 years of editorial work: people are hungry for identity and meaning. They want to understand not just what's beautiful, but why it's beautiful. They want to engage with ideas that elevate rather than simply consume. They want to be part of something larger than themselves - a community of people who believe that how we present ourselves to the world matters, that courtesy is radical, that elegance is a form of respect.

Wintour's departure marks the end of an era, but it also opens space for new voices, new approaches, new definitions of what editorial leadership can be. At GC, we're writing that next chapter with humility and ambition in equal measure.

We're not trying to replace the Anna Wintours of the world - that would be impossible. Instead, we're trying to honor what made her great while creating something entirely our own: a platform where editorial excellence meets authentic engagement, where Southeast Asian perspectives contribute to global conversations, where the modern gentleman is defined not by what he owns but by how he thinks.

The crown isn't passing to any single person. It's being shared among all of us who believe that style, substance, and meaningful discourse still matter. Our job is to prove ourselves worthy of that inheritance - one article, one story, one thoughtful moment at a time.

The future of editorial leadership isn't about replacing legends. It's about learning from them while finding our own voice. At GC, that voice is still evolving, still growing, still discovering what it means to lead with both authority and authenticity in an age that demands both.