Dame Glenda Bailey DBE

Editor-in-Chief, Harper's Bazaar US

Fashion BA(Hons) 1983; HonMDes 1994

Glenda Bailey was named editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar in May of 2001, and has turned the title around to usher in a new era of success, increasing newsstand sales by nearly 20%. Her approach – original, sometimes irreverent, and in keeping with Bazaar's great tradition of high fashion and innovative art direction – has received significant critical recognition and has contributed to what the Independent newspaper has referred to as 'the Bailey legend'.

Glenda, along with her team at Bazaar, has won numerous editorial, fashion industry and design awards, and she is deeply involved in mentoring the fashion leaders of tomorrow. In 2010, Glenda was inducted into the Media Industry Newsletter (MIN) Editorial Hall of Fame.

Under her editorship, Bazaar has also raised millions of dollars for various causes, including the Twin Towers Fund, tsunami relief and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In recognition of Glenda's efforts in the battle against ovarian cancer, she received the 2006 Ovarian Cancer Research Fund's 'Legends' Award. Glenda has also lobbied against counterfeiting in fashion.

Prior to becoming editor-in-chief of Bazaar, Glenda was editor-in-chief of the US edition of Marie Claire, during which the title was the first magazine in the United States to be given the Amnesty International Award for Journalism. Glenda also served as the editor-in-chief of British Marie Claire, which she launched in 1988. Under her editorship, Marie Claire became the biggest-selling fashion magazine in the UK for which she earned three Magazine Editor of the Year awards, five Magazine of the Year awards, and two Amnesty International awards. Glenda was awarded an OBE in 2008 and a DBE in 2019.

"It was excellent training. It makes you understand about hard work and deadlines. What's great about Kingston is that it teaches you how to be professional. It really tests you and your commitment to the industry. I think that's why so many big companies go to Kingston looking for talent. It's the best commercial college there is."

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