With the release of his memoir A Visible Man, Edward Enninful shares the remarkable story of his journey from a childhood bedroom in Ghana overlooking firing squads, to the ground zero of grunge in 1990s London; the drag queens and rock stars of New York nightlife, to the apex of one of the worlds most elite industries.
Published today (September 6th 2022) via Bloomsbury Publishing, the book sees Enninful candidly detail how as a Black, gay, working-class refugee, he found in fashion not only a home, but the freedom to share with people the world as he saw it.
Told from the perspective of a husband, son, brother, friend and leader, Edward writes with style, dignity and grace, as he touches on tales of “failure, loss, coming out, joy, hedonism, fame, love, heartbreak, sacrifice, ill health and era-defining achievements”.
Since becoming the first ever Black editor-in-chief of BritishVogue back in 2017, Edward Enninful has continuously challenged perceptions, broken down barriers and re-defined what it means to be a leading figure in fashion. Whether it’s putting first responders, octogenarians or civil rights activists on the cover of Vogue, or championing designers and photographers of colour, Edward has cemented his status as one of the world’s most important change-makers. And he’s just getting started…
Here are 25 things you might not know about Edward Enninful:
1. Edward Kobina Enninful OBE was born Tuesday, February 22nd 1972 to parents Grace and Major Crosby Enninful.
2. He has 5 siblings – Crosby, Mina, Luther, Kenneth and Akua.
3. Edward is a Pisces.
4. The Enninful family emigrated to the U.K. in the early 1980’s, taking up residence in Ladbroke Grove, West London.
5. Edward made his first foray into the world of fashion at the age of 16, after being scouted by Simon Foxton whilst on the Hammersmith and City line. His first job as a professional model was an advertorial for Pepe Jeans, shot by Nick Knight on location in Richmond Park.
6. Edward attended Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2018, he was recognised with an Honorary Fellowship alongside former Lewisham Mayor Sir Steve Bullock, educationalist Mary Curnock Cook OBE, musician Dave Okumu and former Comic Relief chief executive Kevin Cahill CBE.
7. In 1991, Edward was named Fashion Director of the ‘avant-garde’ British title i-D – making him the youngest ever fashion director for an international publication. He went on to hold the position for over 20 years.
8. Enninful became a Contributing Editor to Italian Vogue in 1998.
9. During his tenure at the Italian publication, Edward spearheaded the production of its “Black Issue”, which featured only black models, actresses and women in art, politics and entertainment. The four separate covers featured Naomi Campbell, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn and Sessilee Lopez. The issue so successful that Condé Nast had to print an extra 60,000 copies.
10. Edward appeared in the 2009 documentary film The September Issue. Directed by R.J. Cutler, the feature gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the working life of Anna Wintour and her staff during the production of the 2007 issue of American Vogue.
11. It was announced in April 2011 that Enninful would be taking over as fashion and style-director of W Magaine, a position formally held by Alex White.
12. In 2014, Edward was named Fashion Creator of the Year by the British Fashion Council (BFC).
13. Aside from his work as a writer, model, advertising consultant and editor, Edward has styled campaigns and fashion shows for brands including Comme des Garçons, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Céline, Valentiono, Fendi, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Gucci and Calvin Klein.
14. In 2016 Enninful was honoured with an OBE for Services to Diversity in the Fashion industry.
15. Edward took over as Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue in August 2017, becoming the first man to hold the post in the magazine’s 101-year history.
16. 13 months into his new role, Edward received the Media Award in Honour of Eugenia Sheppard from the CFDA in recognition of “his career-long contribution to the fashion industry”.
17. In 2017, Enninful made his directorial debut in a collaboration with the American brand GAP, creating a campaign to celebrate diversity, and promote optimism.
18. Edward was honoured by The Daily Front Row for Magazine of the Year at the Fashion Media Awards, and named in the Evening Standard’s top 20 most Influential Londoners of 2019.
19. Enninful was promoted to become the first European Editorial Director in 2020, taking over Vogue’s editorial operations in France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
20. Enninful was named a Global Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2021.
21. Edward’s preferred fragrance is Commes Des Garçons Kyoto incense.
22. Enninful is a self-confession fan of all things sci-fi.
23. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his career, he collaborated with Beats by Dre and Nick Knight to create a limited-edition line of headphones with an accompanying video entitled: The Seven Deadly Sins of Edward Enninful.
24. On February 22nd 2022, Edward married his long-term partner, film-maker Alec Maxwell on his 50th birthday at Longleat House in Wiltshire.
25. The couple’s beloved Boston terrier, Ru Enninful is a “model, influencer & cover star” in his own right, with his very own Instagram account (@ruenninful) which to date has over 17,500 followers!
Edward Enninful’s memoir A Visible Man is out now.
