John Fairchild, the Head of Fairchild Publications Inc., died on February 27th at 87.

He became the European Bureau Chief of Fairchild Publications in 1955, the Publisher of Women’s Wear Daily in 1960 and the Founder of W magazine in 1972. He wrote a column for the back page of W under the pseudonym Countess Louise J. Esterhazy. Under his control, WWD was transformed from a negligible trade journal into a notorious and influential fashion publication.

"John Fairchild was a committed and passionate analyst [...], a talented and ironic commentator, who was feared as much as he was respected," wrote Didier Grumbach in an official statement.

Picture courtesy of Fairchild Archive / John B. Fairchild, 1967.