Stefano Tonchi is a journalist, curator, consultant, and the global chief creative officer of L’Officiel. He was the editor 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 and L'Uomo Vogue, Tonchi's editorial roots are in what he calls "niche" publications, he revealed in a 2007 interview in 032c magazine. In the same interview he also told the magazine that "tradition and 'good taste' are the enemy of change and evolution."
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 would, nevertheless, sue for breach of contract. Tonchi is currently the chief creative officer of L’Officiel, where he oversees the global media company’s 31 editions.
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, 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, 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,", "Uniform: Order and Disorder" and most recently, "Italiana: Italy Through 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.
