Thom Bettridge is stepping down as editor in chief of I-D, ending a tenure that helped steer the magazine through its transition from print artifact to digital cultural force.
Bettridge’s exit is not a departure from the culture so much as a re-routing: the studio model lets him work across brands and platforms without a masthead.
For I-D, the appointment signals continuity: a new editor in chief who already knows the magazine’s voice, and the audience that listens for it.
Bettridge is leaving to focus on Content World, the creative studio he founded, a move that mirrors a broader pattern of editors trading mastheads for independent practices.
The transition comes as fashion media consolidates and independent magazines compete for attention against newsletters and social feeds.
