Mark Guiducci, a Southern California native and New Yorker by adoption and spirit, is the editorial director of Vogue and one of the executive producers of the new DisneyPlus docuseries “In Vogue: The 90s.” The series is a nostalgic and emotional journey through the most important stages of the history of the fashion industry in the ’90s told through the eyes of Vogue’s editors and some of the most influential names in fashion, film and politics. It debuts on September 13 with the first three episodes, followed on September 20 by three more episodes, available exclusively on Disney+ in Italy and other countries and on Hulu in the United States.
What can we expect from the docuseries “In Vogue: The 90s” and what was your role in making it?
“The docuseries is a look back at the ’90s, it’s divided into six roughly chronological parts, our goal with this series was to think about how the ’90s was the decade in which fashion became an integral part of pop culture. Fashion before had its own closed industry, it was something quite exclusive and the ’90s was when all those barriers came down. That was our starting point for the series, we wanted to tell that part of the story. My role? I’m an editor at Vogue, I grew up in the ’90s and I wasn’t part of this working world at the time but it’s such a privilege to be able to work with the editors and the people who created that culture that I grew up in.”
You are the creative editorial director of Vogue, the magazine that has defined pop culture since 1892. That is a lot of responsibility. Do you ever feel pressured at work?
“Of course, but you know, tennis player Billie Jean King used to say that pressure is a privilege and I like to take that phrase seriously. By the way, that phrase is the last thing tennis players see when they are about to enter the court at the US Open. At the end of the corridor there is a little sign that says ‘pressure is a privilege’. Obviously there is pressure in my job but it is a privilege”.
How do you choose who to put on the covers of Vogue?
“It has to mean something to be on the cover of Vogue. Who we put on the cover has to reflect what’s happening in the world, in the culture, and maybe even what’s coming in the future. I think a great cover can come from anywhere but it has to be something that stops you in your tracks, that stops you. It has to immediately and visually communicate a marker of time, a shift in direction, something that’s happening in the culture, and it has to be something you understand instantly without having to explain it. A great cover doesn’t even need a title.”
In the DisneyPlus series we see all the fashion icons of the 90s but who is, in your opinion, the new fashion icon of today?
“Someone like Rihanna who has been living so authentically and dressing authentically since way before we started using the word ‘authenticity’ to define what resonates with young people. And then Taylor Russell who is someone who can embody a really elegant style but is also very adventurous, she wears silhouette-flattering clothes, she uses a lot of color, she wears things that are not necessarily easy to wear and certainly not boring. And she makes a big statement when she does that.”
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from working at Vogue?
“That’s a tough question! The biggest lesson I’ve learned from working at Vogue is that it’s our responsibility to look around, recognize talent, give it a platform, and celebrate it. It’s our job to discover new people and have the rest of the world discover them at the same time. Ultimately, that’s the most exciting thing about my job.”
