FRANCA SOZZANI
Franca Sozzani exemplifies the woman we, at Hipsters for Sisters, want to be: creative, fearless, passionate and committed to a cause. As editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, she has power and is not afraid to use it. Since taking charge in 1987, she has transformed the medium into a conduit for raising political, social and environmental issues that relate to, but extend far beyond fashion. Among her favored causes are social ills that have been previously perpetrated by her own industry including women’s “body image” issues, racism, and sexism.
Sozzani’s willingness to take risks and
create controversy is one of her attributes we admire most. She is not afraid
of controversy and in fact, seems to embrace it. Sozzani wrote a blog post on Stylist.com dealing with the controversy
that seems to surround her every move: “Each
issue of Vogue Italia is seen as controversial and I have found it doesn't bother me
at all. It is also amusing to observe how people react to a specific cover or
editorial: You realize that you had a certain idea in mind and then find out
that people perceive it in an opposite way from what you intended.”
In addition to rocking the status
quo on issues affecting women, Sozzani walks her talk in other ways as
well. She recently accepted a position as U.N. Goodwill Ambassador for
Fashion 4 Development, a global campaign designed to support the U.N.’s work to
achieve gender equality and alleviate poverty through fashion-based
initiatives. To her credit, Sozzani has become much more than a figurehead. She
is committed to creating change: teaching practical skills that will translate
into real jobs providing salaries and dignity to previously marginalized
populations.
Another attribute we admire is Sozzani’s
mental flexability. When asked by Livia Firth of
Interview Magazine “How do you challenge yourself?” Sozzani replied, “I like to be risky every day, changing minds every day. I’m not
reliable at all in my ideas. I can change my ideas three times a day. I change
different things, the parts of the content. But I never change the content of
who I am.” Sozzani’s ability to separate her ideas from herself is what enables
her to think creatively, embrace new ideas and and point the way to a new, more
equitable and humane world.
Salute!
DD