With everyone from Sarah Jessica Parker to Drake trying to make a name for themselves in the fashion industry, W magazine’s editor-in-chief Stefano Tonchi is quick to point out that not all celebrity designers are created equal.
“Some are more involved in the product than others,” he tells Threads. “Like Pharrell Williams, whatever he does has incredible integrity and value and he’s really involved in the design process. The same I would say with Kanye . . . He’s a person who I always thought was a genius in his own right.
“Other celebrities have a team, I suppose, taking care of it, and it’s part of their marketing strategy,” says the editor. “Good for them . . . Some are really into creating something special. For some, it’s just a way to cash in.”
Despite the recent shakeups at Condé Nast, which recently folded Details and ousted Traveler’s publisher, Tonchi is not gearing up for his own next act any time soon. “I think it’s a moment of transformation and I think that more and more, things are kind of changing,” he says of the current mood at the publishing empire. “There is a new generation that loves images and loves great content, and it doesn’t matter in what kind of form it is delivered. It’s about us finding the way to get that content to them in a way and in a place that they can appreciate it,” says Tonchi. “I find it challenging, but I love a challenge.”