The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2018
Condé Nast stopped commissioning Bruce Weber and Mario Testino in one day
A Jan 13 report, and by the next morning the world's biggest fashion publisher and Michael Kors had cut two of its most famous photographers.
Condé Nast · Michael Kors · Burberry · Bruce Weber (photographer) · Mario Testino (photographer) · 2018-01-13
What happened
On January 13, 2018, The New York Times published an investigation in which male models described being sexually exploited by two of fashion's most commissioned photographers, Bruce Weber and Mario Testino — the names behind decades of Vogue covers and luxury campaigns. Both men denied the accounts.
The same day, Condé Nast — publisher of Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair — announced through Anna Wintour and CEO Bob Sauerberg that it would not commission any new work with either photographer 'for the foreseeable future.' Condé Nast Britain followed the next day, confirming the hold applied to British Vogue too.
The statement travelled instantly through the market: Michael Kors said it would not work with Mr. Testino on future advertising campaigns, and Burberry issued a statement of zero tolerance. Two careers built on campaigns ended for Condé Nast's titles within hours of the report, with no court and no regulator in the story.
Why it happened
- Two names carried decades of campaigns: Weber and Testino had shot the defining covers and ads of their era, so one report moved the whole commissioning side at once.
- The publisher moved in hours, without waiting for any finding: Condé Nast's statement arrived the same day as the report, and the market followed within 24 hours.
- The wording was precise: 'no new work for the foreseeable future' — not a verdict, but the practical end of two careers at the magazines that made them.
The lesson
A career made of campaigns can end in the time it takes to issue a statement: 'no new work for the foreseeable future' landed the same day as the report, with no court and no regulator in the story.
Aftermath
Neither photographer returned to new Condé Nast commissions, and their advertising rosters shrank sharply in the months that followed. Both men denied the allegations, and no charges followed publicly. The episode became a reference point for how the industry handles such reports, and Condé Nast later said it would require new hires and contractors to confirm adherence to its code of conduct.
Sources
- NYT — Male Models Say Mario Testino and Bruce Weber Sexually Exploited Them, 13 Jan 2018
- WWD — Brands, Magazines Drop Testino, Weber After Model Allegations, 13 Jan 2018
- The Guardian — British Vogue pulls plug on star photographers over sex abuse claims, 14 Jan 2018
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