Justine (pictured on the left), who replaces Acting Editor Jenny Dickinson, is a renowned editor, writer and author with a wealth of experience in the fashion and literary worlds. She joins Harper’s Bazaar on September 10. Marissa (pictured on the right) joins Bazaar next month from ELLE where she has been Creative Director for the past eight years.
The high profile appointments reunite Justine and Marissa in a unique creative partnership that first began in the late 90s. In their new roles, they will work with Deputy Editor Sarah Bailey and Art Director Tom Usher to build on the great work already done at Harper’s Bazaar and take the iconic luxury brand to a new era, says Hearst.
Jenny Dickinson will remain at Harper’s Bazaar as Consultant Editor until the end of the year. Hearst Magazine UK’s COO, Anna Jones, will continue to publish the brand until a new Group Publishing Director is appointed.
Justine Picardie has an impressive career in glossy magazines, newspapers and book publishing, and has held consultancy roles for several leading fashion brands. She is currently a contributor to both Bazaar UK and US, a former Features Director for British Vogue, formerly the Editor of the Observer Magazine, an editor at the Independent and Independent on Sunday, and a writer and columnist for The Times and Sunday Times, and the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. She also worked on the launch of Marie Claire with US Bazaar Editor, Glenda Bailey, as a consultant on the launch of RED, and is the author of five critically acclaimed books including the recent international best seller, Coco Chanel – The Legend and the Life.
Marissa began her career at The Face and Arena. Before joining ELLE in 2004, she was Art Director at British Vogue. She also freelanced for Vogue Russia, Allure New York, Esquire UK and GQ UK. Marissa has won numerous awards for her work including the SPD Gold medal (2012), SPD Members Choice Award (2011), Yellow Pencil D&AD Awards (2010) and was named BSME Art Director of the Year in 2010.
In the meantime, ELLE Magazine has announced it is close to appointing a replacement Creative Director for Marissa. The appointment is in line with exciting new editorial developments at ELLE to be unveiled in due course, says the company.
Justine Picardie commented: “I’m tremendously excited to be taking this position on a magazine that has already achieved so much under the great leadership of former Harper’s Bazaar Editor-In-Chief, Lucy Yeomans. Bazaar has an inspiring heritage as a luxury brand from the days of Carmel Snow, Alexey Brodovitch and Diana Vreeland, to Fabien Baron and Liz Tilberis, and I hope to celebrate the creativity and editorial ambition of the title with the same dedication as my predecessors. I’m also delighted to be reunited with Marissa Bourke with whom I worked with at Vogue, and to join Sarah Bailey, and the very talented team at Bazaar. It’s an exciting time for the magazine and this creative partnership promises a dynamic future for the brand.
Marissa Bourke commented: "My ambition is to draw on the extraordinary and unparalleled history of Harper's Bazaar, while repositioning it for a new era. I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity to develop a modern visual language, that has its roots in the legacy left by the great masters of 20th century design."
Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chief Executive, Hearst Magazines UK also commented: “The appointments of Justine and Marissa to their respective roles at Harper’s Bazaar is an exciting milestone for the prestigious luxury brand, which recently posted its highest ever ABC figure, up 2.0% year on year and up 5.2% for combined print and digital edition sales. Justine and Marissa are hugely talented and highly respected in the industry, and I look forward to seeing the results of this unique creative partnership at Harper’s Bazaar. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Jenny Dickinson for her hard work as Acting Editor.”
