Edward Enninful appointed as Vogue’s first European editorial director
The British Vogue editor continues his ascent as one of the most powerful gay men in fashion.
By Will Stroude
Edward Enninful has been appointed as Vogue’s first-ever European editorial director.
The newly-created role will give British Vogue editor Enninful oversight of Vogue titles in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, cementing the 48-year-old’s position as one of the most influential gay men in the world of fashion.
Thanking Vogue’s publishing company Condé Nast after the news broke on Tuesday (16 December), Enninful wrote that he was “truly humbled” by the appointment.
Edward Enninful on the red carpet at the 2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar (Photography: Markus Bidaux)
Ghanaian-born Enninful, who presented trans activist and model Munroe Bergdorf with the Hero Award at the 2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards earlier this month, has blazed a trail for Black gay men in fashion throughout his career.
At the age of 18, he became the youngest person to be named an editor at a major international fashion title when he was appointed Fashion Director of i-D magazine. He spent two decades at i-D before taking on the role of Creative Fashion Editor for W magazine.
Former Attitude cover star and Man of the Year Enninful has been widely credited with revitalising and diversifying the British Vogue brand since he took over at the helm just over three years ago.
“I’m here now and I’m opening it up to a wider audience,” he told Attitude back in 2018. “In the Sixties and Seventies, you didn’t have to be from a specific demographic to read it.
“In the Vogue I grew up with in my mum’s sewing room I saw all different [types of] models such as Marie Helvin and Donyale [Luna]. It was a kaleidoscope of races.
Edward Enninful appeared on the cover of the Attitude September 2018 issue
“I feel what I’m doing here is really going back to the traditions of Vogue, opening up and having conversations about the world we live in, diversity of perspective, of experience.
“The issues at hand, from the abortion laws in Ireland, to transgender women, these are conversations about the world.”
The Attitude Awards issue is out now to download and to order globally.
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