Edward Enninful
Outgoing European Editorial Director & Editor-in-Chief, Vogue & British Vogue
In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media globally, where he has placed a 'diversity of perspective' at its core.
Edward Enninful is the outgoing European editorial director of Vogue and editor-in-chief of British Vogue, taking the helm of the magazine on August 1, 2017. In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globally — where he has placed a “diversity of perspective” at its core.
Enninful has described his vision for British Vogue as “about being inclusive. It’s not just the colour of your skin but the diversity of perspective.” His digital prowess and drive to break the storied title into previously unreported coverage areas has seen the publication reach new, younger audiences across social media, video and online. Digital traffic at the title grew by 7.8 percent in 2018 to 14.8 million monthly unique users, while print circulation has increased 1.1 percent since 2017.
Ghanaian-born Enninful began his career as fashion director of British youth culture magazine i-D at age 18, the youngest ever to have been named an editor at a major international fashion title. After moving to London with his parents and six siblings at a young age, Enninful was scouted as a model on the train at 16 and briefly modelled for Arena and i-D magazines before assisting stylists Simon Foxton and Beth Summers on fashion shoots. During this period, he was introduced to i-D Founder Terry Jones, who named him fashion editor after Summers left.
Inspired by London’s club scene in the 1980s, Enninful’s work during this period captured the frenetic energy and creative zeitgeist of the time. It was also during this time that he befriended many of his future fashion collaborators, including David Sims , Pat McGrath , Craig McDean , Mario Sorrenti , Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell . His fashion stories, often infused with a provocative elegance and strong narrative, have also appeared in American Vogue and Vogue Italia, where he was a contributing editor, frequently collaborating with photographer Steven Meisel , including on the famous “makeover madness” issue of July 2005, featuring Linda Evangelista in plastic surgery bandages.
In 2011, Enninful was tapped to take the style directorship at W magazine, a high-end Condé Nast title that had struggled in the late 2000s. He brought relevance to the magazine’s fashion editorials and put a twist on many of its cover stars’ public image, such as dressing the outré R&B artist Nicki Minaj as a French noblewoman. W’s editor, Stefano Tonchi , credited Enninful in part with the magazine’s 16 percent growth in ad page in 2012. In February 2017 Enninful gathered 81 of the fashion industry’s most recognisable faces for a powerful short film for the publication, titled "I Am An Immigrant," in defiance of US President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
For British Vogue’s print editions, Enninful’s covers have consistently featured strong women who promote messages of empowerment: Stella Tennant, Oprah Winfrey, Adwoa Aboah , Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, not to mention his September 2019 edition guest-edited by Meghan Markle HRH Duchess of Sussex, which featured 15 trailblazing female changemakers including Greta Thunberg and Jane Fonda on the cover. The issue was a quick sell-out and, according to estimates provided by Condé Nast Britain, the release of the September cover in the first 24 hours alone, generated more than double the entire PR value of Enninful’s previous blockbuster September issue, featuring pop star Rihanna.
In December 2020, Enninful was promoted to be the first European editorial director. He will take over Vogue’s editorial operations in France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
In June 2023, it was announced Enninful will transition to a global advisory role at Vogue, publisher Condé Nast’s flagship title. In the new position of editorial advisor to British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, Enninful will “contribute to the creative and cultural success of the Vogue brand globally, while having the freedom to take on broader creative projects."
Enninful was awarded an OBE for his services to diversity in the fashion industry, and in 2018 he received the Media Award in Honour of Eugenia Sheppard from the CFDA in recognition of his career-long contribution to the fashion industry.
VITAL STATISTICS
What is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
ExploreWhat is The BoF 500?
The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
ExploreBoF VOICES 2023: Finding Hope in the Dark
Photographer Misan Harriman, artists Rita Ora and Billy Porter and designer Diane von Furstenberg shared their experiences translating pain into art and impact.
Vogue World Touches Down in London
The event showcased Anna Wintour’s power to convene stars from across popular culture and positioned fashion — and the Vogue brand — as a kind of connective tissue between the worlds of music, film, theatre and more.
Edward Enninful to Step Away as British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Next Year
Enninful will transition to a new global advisory role, while ‘having the freedom to take on broader creative projects,’ he said in a memo to staff.
‘I Have an Invisible Disability Myself’: Edward Enninful and Sinéad Burke on Their Fashion Revolution
How do you shake up a homogeneous industry? The editor and the fashion activist explain why they brought a daring, dynamic vision of disability to Vogue.
First Look: Edward Enninful’s Memoir
Edward Enninful, British Vogue editor-in-chief, is set to release his first memoir, A Visible Man, in September. In it, he documents his experiences as a Ghanian refugee in London to those at the top of Vogue's masthead.
The Fashion World Remembers Virgil Abloh
The industry pays tribute to the much-loved designer, whose death was announced on Sunday.
Org Chart: Vogue’s New Global Editorial Structure
The heavyweight international Vogue editors who once filled the front rows at Paris Fashion Week were gone this season, a stark sign of the restructuring that has consolidated power in the hands of global editor Anna Wintour and her regional deputies.
Org Chart: Vogue’s New Global Editorial Structure
The heavyweight international Vogue editors who once filled the front rows at Paris Fashion Week were gone this season, a stark sign of the restructuring that has consolidated power in the hands of global editor Anna Wintour and her regional deputies.
Vanessa Kingori’s Commercial Reboot of British Vogue
The executive has been named Condé Nast Britain’s chief business officer for style after helping to achieve ‘unprecedented revenue growth’ at the fashion title.
Op-Ed | Vogue’s New Editorial Structure Is a Blast from the Past
Centralising control in New York worked wonders under Vogue’s longest-serving editor-in-chief Edna Woolman Chase, but times have changed, argues Nina-Sophia Miralles, the author of ‘Glossy: The Inside Story of Vogue.’
Condé Nast Can Learn From Netflix
In a global world where local tastes still matter, the publisher of Vogue should be careful not to dictate too much of its content strategy from New York and London.