Edward Enninful is a Ghanaian-born living in London changing the status quo in fashion and media. He’s the first black male editor-in-chief for British Vogue.
He was born in a coastal town on a military base. He is one of six kids who love art and drawing, describing himself as the sensitive one and always being around his mom and her friends.
His experience growing up around his mom, aunts, and friends sewing and fitting and helping them rooted in him a desire for fashion and black beauty.
He moved to London when he was 13 years and for the first time in his life, he felt invisible being black in a white domineering society and he decided to change that story for himself.
In his memoir, “A visible man, Edward talked about a moment that changed his life. When he was 16 years and on his way to college, he met a man on the underground railway, who wanted him to model for his brand. Excited as he was he got home and told his mother who said, no!
After wearing her down with lots of talking she eventually allowed him and for a brief time he started his career in modelling.
At 18 years, he became the youngest fashion director for British magazine i-D, a position he held for over decades and despite his creativeness and love for fashion and writing he always had the “imposter syndrome” feeling.
He’s worked so hard with some great fashion brands like Dolce and Gabbana, models like Naomi Campbell, and music artists like Beyonce.
Regardless of being surrounded by so many people he felt soul sick, so lonely. His life was wasted in alcohol and partying he had to check himself into AA at 30 years.
It was at these meetings that he felt like he belonged. The fellowship and selflessness gave him a purpose.
His message to younger generations is “There’s always a journey behind a person. It is possible no matter how many people tell you otherwise. Be true to yourself.”
He explained to Oprah in his interview how everything he went through was supposed to eliminate him but rather those things toughened him, making him who he is to date.
Oprah Winfrey described him as the kindest, most gracious, most sensitively aware of other people’s feelings human being.
Time magazine called him “the most powerful black man sitting at the intersection of fashion and media.”
