Edward Enniful. (Getty Images/Dave Benett)
Edward Enninful has just been announced as Vogue‘s brand new European editorial director, after being named editor-in-chief of British Vogue in 2017.
The trailblazing gay fashion editor is the first to fill the new position, which will see him overseeing editions of Vogue in France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
The announcement comes in a restructure of Condé Nast’s global editorial leadership.
It includes Anna Wintour now taking the role of chief content officer. She will also hold the titles of editor-in-chief of American Vogue, US artistic director of Condé Nast, and global editorial director, leading Enninful.
He tweeted yesterday: “Thank you Condé Nast for this honour. I am truly humbled.”
Edward Enninful is the first and only Black editor-in-chief at Vogue
Time named him the most important Black man in the global fashion landscape in September.
He entered the fashion industry as a teenager, after being scouted as a model when he was 16.
He became the fashion director of i-D at just 18, making him the youngest editor of a major international fashion magazine. He held this position for more than 20 years.
In 2017, he was hired as the editor in chief of British Vogue, becoming the first man to hold the position.
Enninful led, and made a brief cameo, in Vogue‘s September issue. This edition of the magazine is usually a fashion led issue, but Enninful changed it to an activism led issue. He is passionate about diversity in the fashion industry.
He hired a Black photographer for the September 2020 issue, who was the first Black male photographer ever to shoot a British Vogue cover.
The cover star was Pose director Janet Mock, becoming the second trans woman to make the cover. In September 2019, Laverne Cox was the cover star.
Enninful received an OBE in 2016 for his commitment to diversity in the fashion industry.
He held the position of creative fashion director at W Magazine. He has also consulted for some of the largest fashion houses in the world, including Calvin Klein, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana and Giorgio Armani.
In the leadership team at British Vogue, he hired Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell as contributing editors.