Franca Sozzani who do you think you are ?

It's been a long time since we got controversial on Incognito, so for this WYSIWYG Wednesday let's speak about Franca Sozzani, one of the most influent fashion personality.

Have you ever heard about Franca Sozzani ? Before my arrival in Italy, she was a perfect straner for me. In the very small world of Vogue I already knew Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld and Emmanuelle Alt. And then, came this day where I learnt that Franca was the alter ego of all these women in Italy, Franca Sozzani is indeed the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia. And as such she has some credits :

 

1. Franca is one of the most influential person in the fashion world, Franca succeeded in making Vogue Italia one of the most influent magazine in the world with only 140 000 copies sold per year, when its american alter ego has more than 1,3 million readers.
2. Franca has a high number of decorations amongst them the Legion of Honour given by Nicolas Sarkozy
3. Franca is Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, Franca has written a whole lot of books.
4. But above all, Franca was rewarded for two editorials, firstly for her issues "The Black Issue" in Vogue Italia that celebrates black women beauty and secondly for her L'Uomo Vogue issue "Rebranding Africa".

 

Until now Franca is the only one in the fashion industry that has demonstrated an interest for Africa. And this without, for once, showing us pictures of snotty-nosed african children harassed by flies and with a look that should arouse compassion and pity for the people looking at them. An image so well broadcasted to the whole world by the NGO that for most of the people, Africa, this country, oops sorry this continent, is synonymous with poverty, war and famine. An image that is so strong that when I turn on TV in Italy, there is no moment where you don't see an advert telling you to support a cause to help Sabitou or Touré that are suffering from horrendous diseases and starvation in their country. So when I saw on vogue.it, the website of Vogue Italia the initiative created by Franca I was very curious and happy about it. Instead of showing us Africa like we are used to, this iron woman decided to show the world that this continent had potential by promoting its artists and young designers.

Franca's idea was fine by me until I saw on may her issue "Rebranding Africa" and this article on Jonathan Goodluck, the president of Nigeria. The article title being "Goodluck Jonathan", I was expecting an interview or at least an article dedicated to this man, but it was absolutely not the case. The article was about Franca telling us about her arrival at Abuja, her preoccupation to photograph the president the Vogue way, but above all it was a long soliloquy of Franca to the president who seemed to listen to her blissfully. Indeed Mr.Goodluck, poor chap, was only nodding happily, smiling and agreeing with satisfaction to all the advices given by the editor-in-chief of Vogue to make Nigeria a better country. After reading this article my first thought was to wonder what was the subject of this piece : Jonathan or how Franca is giving governance lessons to a political leader ? Then my second thought was to wonder if Franca didn't take her readers for total fools. That is why I went to read the comments. Among them, Franca only answered to one, and what's more to say that it is the most well built and argued because it enlightens on the current situation in Nigeria and why the propositions made by Franca, such as building hotels and boutiques ( and everything luxury of course !) to attract tourism when most of the population is already poor, are ridiculous.

Jonathan Goodluck

The reader (Rachel) whose comment received the particular attention of Franca Sozzani, was given as an answer :

" It's been a long time since I last received such an idiot comment on my website. When I say Muslims, I never thought that the entire population of muslims is against Catholics as I live part of my life in Morocco and all my friends there are Muslims. I think that you took the negative side of the article and I'm sorry to say that is you who is against your own country, not me, as if we give work to women and we build up new shops and hotels, even for the 5% of the population, it can attract tourism and give job to local people. Is this nothing for you? Is it so unnecessary that I go to see them and try to help them? if so, I'm sorry for you, you don't love your country and don't want to help it. I don't care and I go on my own way and certainly you won't stop me. Just for your info, all the people - young designers, tailors and those producing fashion - are very happy and selling well thanks to me. This is the most important thing for me."

I remember that few time ago, a video by Garance Doré interviewing Franca was released. In it, Garance was asking her to speak about her blog, vogue.it. Our editor-in-chief answered that she put a lot of herself in this site and above all that the creation of vogue.it was a huge success because she became accessible, thanks to this site readers "can speak with me, argue with me, they can comment [...] so for the first time they have a relation with someone".  

Then if it is the case what does this disrespectful answer revealing even more that Franca Sozzani didn't inform herself well about the situation in Africa mean ?

Here are the 3 reasons that brought me to write this article :

 1. Ignorance. How can you compare the Islam from Maroc and the one from Nigeria ? For me it is like saying that Catholicism is the same everywhere, when we know that is not the truth as it is perceived differently because each country has its own culture.
2. Self-importance (which is often good friend with ignorance). The editor-in-chief of Vogue claims that she came to help while using as an argument a commonplace : tourism, but not your average one, luxury tourism. Tourism is definitely a way to revive the economy but you still need to have the necessary structures to be able to do it, then bringing rich people doesn't necessarly means that native people will live better, on the contrary.
3. Arrogance. In her answer Franca stresses on the fact that designers and tailors are selling thanks to her. Obviously if you publicize them, they won't be coming complaining about the disinformation you are doing about their country. After all Vogue is an institution in the fashion world, and anyway who cares about disinformation (when it is about Africa) ?

I am not rebelling against Franca Sozzani in particular, but I am against this behaviour which consists in thinking that because we are ONLY readers we don't have the faculty to think or more precisely that we don't have any right to say a word about what is published. Because, in reality, what Franca is saying to this reader is that she only has the right to be silent. What the use of opening a blog then ?

In an interview given to Interview Magazine, Franca said : " I don’t care if you like it or not. I do the magazine that I think is correct. If you like this issue, I am more than happy. If you don’t like this issue, you will like the next because we do 14 issues a year. So once in a year you will love, no?" Certainly not when the journalist doesn't do his/her homework by not informing himself/herself, because as a reader not only am I able to appreciate, but I ALSO know how to read AND judge.

After having being shocked by the article by Elle France "Tendance black fashion power", and by the one by the US Vogue on Asma El-Assad, the article by Franca Sozzani was the icing on the cake. All these articles aroused a lot reactions from the readers, and all the editorial offices (or editors-in-chief) of these magazines has given answers that so far let me believe that they consider us who read them  dumb. 

That is why I want to ask you : what do you think about the connection between fashion magazines and their readers nowadays ?

For more informations about Franca Sozzani and "Rebranding Africa":

Vogue.it

Garance Doré

Interview Magazine

Africa is a country