Fairchild was born in Newark, New Jersey,[1] and grew up in Glen Ridge.
[2] John was a direct descendant of Vice President Aaron Burr.
In 1949, while at Fairchild's Paris office, he met his future wife Jill.
[3] 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 in 1972.
In 2020, W was acquired by Bustle Digital Group, Mic, and W Media, a joint venture led by Karlie Kloss.