If anyone has what it takes to knock legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour off her gold stick, it’s Edward Enninful.
At least that’s what they said; what many in the fashion industry concluded when Enninful, after being appointed editor of British Vogue, outlined his vision for the world’s most glamorous magazine.
Change from within was his credo, diversity and inclusion are keywords. Enninful, 51, made waking up an art form.
During his five-year reign, the magazine featured a transgender model for the first time and Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet was the first man on the cover. Last month’s cover featured five disabled stars and was also released as a Braille edition.
Waking up, however, isn’t a trait usually attributed to the 73-year-old Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue and grande dame of fashion — and the woman is said to have inspired Meryl Streep’s terrifying editor in the hit movie The Devil Wears Prada.
If anyone has what it takes to knock legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour (right) off her gilded stick, it’s Edward Enninful (left)
At least that’s what they said; what many in the fashion industry concluded when Enninful, after being appointed editor of British Vogue, outlined his vision for the world’s most glamorous magazine (Photo: Enninful with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex)
Still, she kept a close eye on her supposed protege’s mini-revolution, and while she didn’t approve of all of his innovations, she incorporated some of them into her magazine. After all, times changed.
Some said this was mere maneuvering, a knee-jerk reaction by an accomplished player of cultural politics to secure her legacy.
Surely whatever concessions she made, it was only a matter of time before she was forced to give way to the young hypocrite?
While publicly coy about his future, Enninful has made little secret of his ambition to succeed Wintour. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that he has threatened to resign unless he gets Wintour’s job late last year. Of course that never happened.
So Enninful’s announcement that he’s moving to a different role within publishing house Condé Nast seemed to indicate he’d thrown in the towel: “Make no mistake, this was a power struggle,” an insider said.
Make no mistake, this was a power struggle… and he lost
Edward pitched his new vision against the old Vogue – and lost. Succession [the hit TV drama about a toxic media family] has no use for this.’
There are reports of raging arguments between the couple, with one source saying simmering resentment boiled over when Enninful planned to make the magazine gender neutral.
“This was too much,” the insider said. Another Vogue source added, “There would be disagreements. Wintour would say ‘Don’t listen to Edward’ and he would say ‘Don’t listen to Anna’.’
Known as ‘Nuclear Wintour’ and famous for her sleek bob and dark sunglasses, she has a reputation for being the demanding titan of the industry.
Vogue insiders called Enninful the only “real threat” to her power. Insiders whispered that the pair are “not talking,” while a source said five years ago, “I don’t think she ever felt like he was qualified for that role.”
MISCELLANEOUS: A Vogue edited by Meghan Markle, far left, a cover featuring black activists for an edition produced primarily by a black team
As far back as 2018, it was speculated that Enninful’s position at British Vogue was only temporary and that he would take over from Wintour when she retires.
But he said in an interview, ‘Everyone wants to know what I do, but I would like to tell you that I don’t want Anna’s job. I talked to her about it a few weeks ago.’
In dry business language, Friday’s announcement revealed that he is moving to “the newly appointed position of editorial advisor to British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor to Vogue.”
It betrayed nothing of the alleged turbulence behind the scenes. Enninful talked about optimizing “my increased global responsibilities” and how he can “play a broader role in strengthening Vogue globally.”
There was one clue to his motives in his mention that he now “has the freedom to take on broader creative projects.”
For months, Enninful has been frustrated about having to turn down lucrative consulting projects because of a potential conflict of interest. Giving up the editor’s chair means that he is free from such restrictions.
I’ve learned that you don’t need perfect vision to create
A source said: “He talked months ago about doing business with his husband Alec, a filmmaker, who makes an absolute fortune.
Edward has long been very frustrated with the fact that he has been given so many opportunities to do creative consultancy and production, only to have to turn them down.
“As a business partnership, they could do creative work for brands and make millions.”
Other sources said he still desires a tilt in the top job and may be eligible if Wintour (now reportedly dating actor Bill Nighy) quits, though she has no plans to retire.
“But this new step is far from a promotion,” says an insider. “He would have had a better chance of taking over if he had stayed in place. His power base has been reduced.”
Vogue’s publisher Conde Nast has in the past strongly denied the claims of breakup. A spokesman for Wintour also denied the rumors at the time, saying that Anna was “very proud” of Enninful and “likes to have him as a colleague.”
As a consultant, Ghana-born Enninful would be in great demand.
As a stylist, he had a reputation for creating beautiful – and sometimes controversial – images. Jonathan Newhouse, the CEO of Condé Nast International, once described Enninful’s work at Italian Vogue as “a milestone in recent cultural history.”
He has worked with A-listers (Cara Delevingne and Emma Watson), but has also championed the diversity of models and celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, Ruth Negga and Jourdan Dunn.
Not all of his wake adaptations received the approval of younger readers. The February 2022 cover, which was intended to celebrate African beauty, faced backlash due to models’ dark skin tones.
One Twitter user commented, “The framing, the deliberate obscuration in post-production, the dead expressions, and the absence of joy say so much about how white fashion institutions see black women… We’re in 2022 and Vogue still can’t . pretty light black women.’
He has worked with A-listers (Cara Delevingne and Emma Watson), but has also championed the diversity of models and celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, Ruth Negga and Jourdan Dunn (Photo: Enninful with (left to right) Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid and Adut Akech)
In 2016, he was appointed OBE for services to diversity in fashion. Naomi Campbell – who he and Kate Moss have been best friends with since they were teenagers – accompanied him to Buckingham Palace to receive his honour.
“We connect on so many levels,” she said. “When I first met him, it was like meeting family.”
That night, Enninful hosted a party at Mark Birley’s private members’ club in Mayfair, where the cream of the crop celebrated with him, including Kate Moss, Madonna and Erin O’Connor.
In an editorial chair or not, few doubt that he will remain at the epicenter of the fashion world. And his A-lister pals, including Donatella Versace, Marc Jacobs, Iman, and Rihanna, will likely be helpful in forging a new role.
Although his mother was a seamstress, he had little knowledge of the fashion world until one day when he was on TV and scouted by stylist Simon Foxton, who worked for cult magazines iD and Arena.
Enninful said, “I was sheltered growing up, with six siblings. We played together all the time and I lived in a fantasy world, like most creative people. My mother was a seamstress, so I always grew up making clothes.
“I knew how to put together outfits, I knew how to sketch, I knew how to adjust. But I could never imagine it as a career.’
I’d like to tell you that I don’t want Anna’s job
He has had poor eyesight for much of his life and has said losing his sight is his greatest fear. He’s had four surgeries for problems, including a detached retina.
“I always had my minus 10 glasses on and I had four retinal detachments [needing] operated every time.’ he said. “Then three weeks of looking at the floor in a dark room and not lifting your head. And yes, it was very intense psychologically.
“But what I’ve also learned is… you don’t need perfect vision to create. You don’t need 20/20 vision to see images. So that’s the irony of it: even though I have poor eyesight, I’m still able to create images that people seem to resonate with.’
He also has the blood disorder thalassemia, which regularly causes severe pain and for which he underwent several transfusions before coming to Britain from Ghana at the age of 13.
He made his first taste of fashion as an assistant to photographer Nick Knight. He then went to work for Foxton and a job at iD followed. At the age of 18, he dropped out of art school to become fashion director at the title, a position he held for 20 years.
He became a contributing fashion editor to American Vogue in 2006 before moving to W by Condé Nast magazine in 2011 and finally to British Vogue in 2017.
But his glorious run pales in comparison to that of Wintour, editor since 1988. “Who knows how many more years will she be in charge?” said an insider. “One thing’s for sure, unlike Edward, she’s not moving anytime soon.”