Edward Enninful’s Appointment at British Vogue Represents Progress

This morning, Edward Enninful OBE was named the new editor-in-chief of British Vogue, succeeding Alexandra Shulman who resigned in January.

The British-Ghanaian creative’s career took off while living in London, when he was scouted at age 16 by Simon Foxton. By age 18, Enninful was Fashion Editor at i-D Magazine, where he was the youngest director of any international publication.

Condé Nast International’s official announcement means more than a new editor to the Vogue Family — he’s worked with Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia and Anna Wintour of American Vogue — it represents the progression of fashion, both in creativity and diversity.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Edward Enninful, OBE, as Editor of British Vogue effective August 1, 2017,” said Jonathan Newhouse, chairman and chief executive of Condé Nast International in a statement to Business of Fashion (BoF). “Edward is one of the most talented and accomplished fashion editors in the world.”

In an industry where, according to theFashionSpot’s Fall 2017 diversity report, only 27.9% of the runways are walked by models of color (Asian, Black, Latina, Middle Eastern, etc.), and even less creatives-of-color hold editorial positions in fashion, Enninful’s position as the first black, gay Editor-in-Chief of a major publication is historic. His position now serves as a beacon of strength in a time of cultural, racial and political sensitivity and turmoil post-Brexit.

Enninful’s persistence, experience and innate talent for vision-execution and style are bound to shake up a commercialized publishing industry which often seems solely focused on driving sales with celebrity.

His track record of editorial work at W, where he served as style director since 2011, exhibits Enninful’s capability of creating a magical world readers consume through the pages of fashion magazines — he doesn’t just put of-season couture on a celebrity with millions of Instagram followers. According to BoF, Enninful “[transformed] the title’s fortunes, boosting ad pages by 16 percent in 2012.”

Enninful’s Instagram is filled with praise and heart emojis; one comment read they plan on buying print versions of Vogue again. Naomi Campbell, one of Enninful’s closest friends, uploaded a photo congratulating him on his appointment.

The fashion industry and its admirers are overjoyed and eager to see what Enninful delivers as the next editor-in-chief of British Vogue.

Written by Anthony O’Baner