‘Harper’s Bazaar’ Appoints Samira Nasr As Its First Black Editor-In-Chief

Fashion writer and editor Samira Nasr will be taking over as Harper’s Bazaar’s newest editor-in-chief on July 6.

Harper’s Bazaar shared on Tuesday, June 9 that Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz and Hearst Magazine President Troy Young were the first ones to make the announcement of the change. The position of editor-in-chief was previously held by Glenda Bailey for almost two decades. In her new role, Nasr, who was previously at Vanity Fair, will oversee Bazaar’s content strategy and development, both digitally and in print.

Nasr being hired for the position makes her the magazine’s first black editor-in-chief in the outlet’s 153-year history. While she will be overseeing the content, Nasr will also work closely with Hearst Magazine’s Chief Content Officer, Kate Lewis.

Nasir released a statement regarding her position shortly after the announcement. Not only did she point out what the outlet means to her, but she was also ready to be a part of a publication that is close to the work she’s already been doing.

“Fashion and BAZAAR are synonymous,” Nasr said. “It is a tremendous privilege to be entrusted with moving this legacy brand into a new era — one that is colorful, inclusive, and celebrates the beauty of fashion on every platform — while carrying on the tradition of innovative art direction and great style that the BAZAAR audience loves so much. The most beautiful part of working in magazines is the teamwork and creating a community. I can’t wait to get started.”

While Nasr’s role will be new to Harper’s Bazaar, she has decades of experience in the fashion industry. She began her fashion career as an assistant to creative director Grace Coddington after graduating from New York University. In addition to working as an executive fashion director for Vanity Fair, Nasr also worked as a fashion director for Elle and a style director for InStyle before that. The Montreal, Canada, native has also styled advertising campaigns for L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, and Tory Burch.

Following Hearst’s announcement, many celebrities and prominent fashion industry professionals, including Janet Mock, Janelle Monae, Bethann Hardison, and Natasha Lyonne, congratulated Nasr on Instagram and Twitter for her momentous venture.

Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, who is close friends with Nasr, shared the news with her millions of Instagram followers. Ross shared two photos of her with Nasr. The first photo showed the friends wearing oversized shirts while they relaxed on a bed together. For the second picture, they appear to be younger and are enjoying a night out. In her caption, Ross called her friend’s new position a “win for everyone.”