The Enninful Edition: one year on
By Emma O'Regan-Reidy | Nov 22 2018
British Vogue is gearing up to celebrate not only the holidays this season but also its first anniversary of Edward Enninful as Editor-in-Chief. The magazine has teamed up with British clothing brand, Reserved, to launch a New Year’s Eve Party Collection, to produce a number of slinky, scintillating dresses and sharp suits. Curated by Vogue editors Dena Giannini and Holly Roberts, the ten-piece collection alludes to Studio 54 and the gaudy glamour of the 80s translated into the sleekness of 2018. The capsule collection has been promoted with dynamic images created by Argentinian artist, Daiana Ruiz, illustrating the energy behind each piece. This first ever clothing collection by the publication emphasises the metamorphosis of the brand under Enninful’s direction. This collection coincides with the anniversary of the magazine’s editor. The fashion world had been anxiously anticipating Enninful’s future endeavours since his appointment. At age 18, Enninful was appointed as editor of i-D magazine, the youngest in history to be nominated to such a position at an international fashion publication. Enninful’s appointment to his current role is undeniably just as significant. TV presenter/entrepreneur, Darren Kennedy, observes that “it's a massive statement of intent from a publishing house like Vogue to put a black, gay man at the helm of a powerful female title.” Enninful has exceeded everyone’s expectations. Enninful’s predecessor, Alexandra Shulman, was notably criticised for her lack of diversity: there was no black model on the magazine’s cover from Naomi Campbell in 2002 to Jordan Dunn in 2014. His first cover broke this pattern of exclusion, choosing model/activist Adwoa Aboah to grace his first cover. Not only did he include the most popular model of the moment, but instead of saturating her in 2018 trends, he alluded to British Vogue’s heritage. By combining her cool, contemporary image with old glam elements through her peacock-blue eyeshadow and silk head scarf, Enninful succinctly created a fresh cover while also acknowledging the magazine’s wide history. In celebration of his year with the publication, four new covers are being released featuring Primrose Archer, Saffron Vadher, Stella Tennant, and Adut Akech Bior. On their Instagram account beneath each cover, British Vogue stated that these are to celebrate “both past and present models shaping the industry today and undoubtedly this next chapter of #NewVogue.” The feats Enninful has completed in his first year at British Vogue are indicative of this new chapter in the publication’s history. We look forward to seeing him at the head of this “#NewVogue”.