British Vogue is turning one hundred years old, and they are doing it in silence

This year, British Vogue is turning one hundred years old. The so-called British fashion bible has made it to a full millennium. Really, you say? I do too. Although the anniversary is quite extraordinary, it seems like British Vogue themselves are not too keen on celebrating it.

Okay, that might have been a bit harsh. To be fair, they do have quite a big exhibition going over at the National Portrait Gallery, but that seems to be it. I spoke to fashion blogger Ane Andersen, who studies fashion marketing at the London College of Fashion, thought British Vogue is nowhere near being a fashion bible in the way that American Vogue is.

“The Vogue brand is incredibly well known, and you have to be living under an earth-shaped rock if you don’t know it. The statuses within Vogue are completely different, though. American Vogue has a far higher status than what British Vogue does.”

Anna Wintour said in an interview with CBS in 2011, “to be in Vogue has to mean something.” And to designers, being featured in American Vogue is everything. To them, Vogue is known as the fashion bible, and Anna Wintour is the woman to impress.

“The biggest difference between American Vogue and British Vogue is one key weapon – Anna Wintour. She is without a doubt the most powerful figure in fashion, and a nod from her can define your entire fashion career.

Since Anna Wintour came to Vogue, she has pushed boundaries further and further, beginning with her first cover and continuing with celebrities instead of models on the cover. She seems to have an intuition that never fails.

When American Vogue turned 100 years old, they launched one of their biggest issues, which became their best-selling issue. When British Vogue turned 100 years old, they out up an exhibition of their covers at the National Portrait Gallery, in addition to a little party held when the exhibition opened. When I asked Ane if she thought the celebration was appropriate, she said “absolutely not.”

“First of all, it’s a hundred years. That’s a grand milestone. For some reason, it seems like any other anniversary. Where are the tributes from designers, photographers or models they have worked with? Where is it explained what British Vogue has meant for people? Where is the big event where people fly in from other Vogue magazines to celebrate this anniversary?

“Although British Vogue is far from the American Vogue when it comes to significance, they still have the Vogue brand. I say USE IT, for all it’s worth! There are so many talented writers, stylists, designers and others who live in London you could have done something cool with. So many gorgeous locations in London you could have used. Even after one hundred years as British Vogue, they still don’t seem to know how much the brand Vogue is worth.”

Will British Vogue make it another 100 years? Editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman thinks so. And if it does, will it ever make it out of American Vogue’s shadow? Will it ever become the British Fashion bible?

Who knows? Here’s hoping they’ll make more out of their next hundred years. If they make it that far.