Sally Brampton

Sally Brampton
Brampton discussing depression in 2010
Born	(1955-07-15)15 July 1955 Brunei
Died	10 May 2016(2016-05-10) (aged 60) St Leonards-on-Sea, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Saint Martin's School of Art
Occupation	Journalist

Sally Jane Brampton (15 July 1955 – 10 May 2016) was an English journalist, writer, and magazine editor. She was the founding editor of the British edition of the French magazine Elle in 1985.

She was born in Brunei, on the island of Borneo, the daughter of Pamela and Roy Brampton; her father was a manager for oil firm Shell. Brampton was the middle child with an elder and younger brother. Her father's job meant that the family's existence was nomadic with periods living in many countries. In all she attended twelve schools, among which were a school in Rio de Janeiro, Ashford School in Kent, where she boarded, and St Clare’s Hall School in Oxford. After leaving school, she studied fashion at Saint Martin's School of Art.

After winning a competition, Brampton joined Vogue in 1978, and then became the fashion editor of The Observer in 1981.

Brampton was appointed the first editor of the British edition of the French magazine Elle which published its first issue in November 1985. "There was a whole new generation [of women] fumbling its way towards tomorrow", she said later. "Elle was the first mainstream magazine to act as a voice for that generation." It was aimed at professional women with an interest in fashion and shopping, rather than emotions and personal relationship concerns of other titles. The writers Jeanette Winterson, Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons were among those who contributed to Elle under Brampton's stewardship. By this time, she had become a close friend of the designer Jasper Conran.

Soon after Elle's launch in Britain, Naomi Campbell then not yet 16, was spotted in Covent Garden by a talent scout, and Elle's use of Campbell as a cover model in April 1986 helped to launch her career. Brampton opposed using models who were underweight. The word "diet" was banished and she ran features on "healthy eating plans" instead. After clashes with the publisher of the magazine, Hachette, Brampton left the company in 1989 to develop her career as a novelist and freelance writer. Management changed frequently and she had tired of the early mornings.