Stefano Tonchi (born 13 October 1959,
Florence, Italy
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
) is an Italian journalist, curator, and consultant.
In March 2022, he launched Palmer, a luxury media brand, with
Michael J Berman, co-founder of
George magazine.
He served as consulting chief creative officer of
L’Officiel from January 2020 until December 2021.
He was the editor in chief of ''
W'' magazine from March 2010 until June 2019.
He was previously editor of ''
T: The New York Times Style Magazine''. He earlier worked at ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'' and ''
L'Uomo Vogue
''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogu ...
'', Tonchi's editorial roots are in what he calls "niche" publications, he revealed in a 2007 interview in ''
032c
''032c'' magazine is a bi-annual, English-language contemporary culture magazine that covers art, fashion, and politics. It was founded in 2001 by Joerg Koch and is published in Berlin.
History
The magazine was founded in Berlin in 2001 by Joerg ...
'' magazine. In the same interview he also told the magazine that "tradition and 'good taste' are
..the enemy of change and evolution."
[
]
Early life
Tonchi graduated with a Classic Studies degree from Liceo Classico Forteguerri in Pistoia, Italy
Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typ ...
. He has resided in New York City since 1994.
Career
''W'' magazine
Tonchi was named Editor-in-Chief of '' W'' magazine in March 2010.
In June 2019, Tonchi exited ''W'', when the publication was sold by Condé Nast to Surface Media. Tonchi voiced reluctance to accept the change of ownership, so his replacement by Sara Moonves didn't surprise observers.[ Tonchi sued for breach of contract, and in June 2022, Condé Nast settled the lawsuit and released the following statement: "Stefano Tonchi is a talented journalist and media executive who made enormous contributions to the success of W magazine as editor in chief for over nine years. We are pleased to have resolved this matter with him." Tonchi added: "Leading W magazine and working with talented teams at Condé Nast was a highlight of my career. I am glad we can all move on from our differences."
]
Prior career
Before ''W'', Tonchi was the creator and Editor-in-Chief of ''T: The New York Times Style Magazine'', which he introduced in 2004 after serving as Style Editor at the ''Sunday Times Magazine''. Under his leadership, ''T'' increased to 15 issues annually, expanded internationally, launched a companion website, and was nominated for multiple National Magazine Awards.
Tonchi was listed, along with other members of a so-called "queer cabal" at ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', as #7 in ''Out'' magazine's "Power 50" in 2007. In 2008, ''T'' was awarded Magazine of the Year from the Society of Publication Designers.
From 1998 to 2003, Tonchi was the Fashion Creative Director for ''Esquire''. In 2001, ''Esquire'' earned the Magazine of the Year award from the Society of Publication Designers, as well as National Magazine Award nominations for Photography and Design. Before joining ''Esquire'', he worked as Creative Director for J. Crew.
Tonchi returned to Conde Nast
Conde may refer to:
Places
United States
* Conde, South Dakota, a city
France
* Condé-sur-l'Escaut (or simply 'Condé'), a commune
Linguistic
''Conde'' is the Ibero-Romance form of "count" (Latin ''comitatus'').
It may refer to:
* Count ...
, having served as ''Self'' magazine's Creative Director from 1994 until 1996. Prior to that, he served as Editor, and later, Fashion Director, for ''L'Uomo Vogue'' from 1987 to 1994. At the start of his career in Italy, Tonchi co-founded and served as Editor and Art Director for ''Westuff'' magazine, a publication that later evolved into ''Emporio Armani Magazine''.
Tonchi has curated a number of exhibitions and co-authored and edited the accompanying books, including "Excess: Fashion and the Underground in the '80s," "Human Game: Winners and Losers," (exhibitions created for Pitti Immagine at the Stazione Leopolda in Florence), "Uniform: Order and Disorder" (an exhibition in Florence and P.S.1/MOMA) and most recently, "Italiana: Italy Through the Lens of Fashion 1971-2001" at Palazzo Reale in Milan, and "Bellissima: Italy and High Fashion 1945-1968" at the MAXXI Museum in Rome and NSU Fort Lauderdale.
He has edited several books on the intersection of art and fashion. He was the co-author of "Total Living" and "Walter Albini and His Time," and a visual consultant for "Memos: On Fashion In This Millennium" at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan.
Personal life
Tonchi's partner is David Maupin; they met in 1987 when Maupin was studying in Florence.[Ben Widdicombe (May 9, 2014)]
Gatekeeper: W Magazine’s Stefano Tonchi is Making Art and Fashion a Hot Mix
''New York Observer
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
''. The couple has twin daughters.[Holly Brubach (April 19, 2019)]
Inside a New York Family's Annabelle Selldorf-Designed Residence
''Architectural Digest
''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internat ...
''. Since 2011, the family has been residing at Osborne Apartments
The Osborne, also known as the Osborne Apartments or 205 West 57th Street, is an apartment building at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The Osborne was originally designed by James Edward Ware and constru ...
, in a space designed by Annabelle Selldorf. They also maintain a weekend house in Bridgehampton.[Robin Pogrebin (August 12, 2016)]
How David Maupin, an Art Dealer, Spends His Sundays
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonchi, Stefano
Living people
Fashion journalists
Italian magazine editors
American gay writers
1959 births
Fashion editors