London
–
Edward Enninful on the farewell cover of British Vogue released in March 2024 marks the end of his six-year term as editor-in-chief, with 40 very famous women: Jane Fonda, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Cindy Crawford, Cindy Crawford, Victoria Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell – The list is on and continues.
Having Hollywood actors, supermodels, fashion designers and athletes take a group photo in the same room is a complex calendar logistics that requires diplomacy and considerable industry influence.
Few editors can implement it. But few editors can boast about his career until then.
Enninful worked in fashion publishing for decades before entering the highest job in Vogue, England. He started out, while still in his teens, at youth culture magazine iD in London (where he became the younger editor at a major fashion title), before moving on to roles at both Italian and American Vogue, then W magazine, in New York, before moving back to London to helm British Vogue in 2017. Over the years, he was instrumental in ambitious projects like Italian Vogue's Black Issue in 2008 — Only Black models featured in the magazine, which sold out – also designers and consultants for brands such as Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana.
Enninful announced that he would leave Vogue's upper echelon in the summer ahead of the final issue. News at the time attracted the fashion industry. Why leave one of the industry's top jobs? What will happen next?
The answers are interconnected. In an interview in London, Enninful said the decision to step down and go out alone was a “now or never” moment.
“Leaving was my decision, it was 100% … I realized I was going to spend 50 and needed a new behavior. So I talked to Anna about it.” He said (before being asked) any advice he left because of a crack with his former boss Anna Wintour, who he told him that he still texted occasionally. “I know I've achieved everything in Vogue.”
“People forget that I came from a country that had to escape. Going out was never a problem for me.”
Edward Ennedin
Although his fingerprints are spread all over the new magazine, Enninful did not appoint his own editor-in-chief, but instead asked his former Vogue deputy deputy Sarah Harris to serve as editorial director. He cocooned with other highly respected collaborators, friends and family, including his sister Akua (co-founder and CEO) and his husband Alec Maxwell (chief visual officer).
Starting new magazines and media companies is a bold move as advertising revenues fall, as old media is under pressure to drive the path to sustainable development. Just last week, Chloe Malle, new editorial content director at Vogue America, said there will be fewer printing issues (currently monthly) in fashion bibles soon. According to Lauren Sherman, a fashion correspondent for Puck, it’s hard to start a print title today. “Because people stop reading magazines.” Circulation has dropped, limited access, especially in the U.S. newsstands are almost dead, she said in an email. You have to have a truly inspired concept. ”
Surprisingly, the first issue of 72 did not have traditional advertising pages. “I just want it to be a love story for creativity,” Enninful explains. “I don't want to just be doing salary. What we're creating is a new model that makes us creatively free.”
So what is this new model? Private companies (backed by some private investors) will use their core platform as their website. Simone Oliver, former editor-in-chief of Refinery 29, with Enninful as EE72 content leader, called her approach “slow numbers,” presumably in an effort to oppose radical content that many online media victims became victims. “From my first conversation with Akua and Edward, it’s clear that they aren’t interested in keeping the status quo,” Oliver said. “There is the potential for what they’re building to redefine the look of media and entertainment in an exciting, long overdue way.”
In short, the business philosophy is to work with the brand through online branding, printing and “experience” or events. The magazine launch party is held in New York, London, Milan and Paris, each with its own brand partners (including Moncler and Google Shopping in New York and Levi's in London). It's not a groundbreaking idea – many traditional media companies work with brands to generate revenue in this way (including Vogue and parent company Condé Nast). What may be novel is to execute these partnerships with the freedom and flexibility of startups. “I want to create something from scratch that can be agile, you can learn from errors, pivots, everything you can't do, maybe when it's in traditional media,” Enninful said.
“Everyone is talking about inclusion and diversity, but I think he did make a pioneer in change, and I think it really comes down to him.”
Sarah Harris
Novelty may also be achieved through the business culture he has built around him. In an industry that is often (and sometimes correctly) accused of being mean and mean, Ennininful and his team are emphasizing values such as authenticity and empathy; he is also a loyal believer in the community and guidance.
“I believe in unity, through the power of helping each other. When the young man asked me, I said, ‘There is a group of people you trust around you and you can share ideas with you, bounce ideas.’ It’s important. ”
Although Enninful insists that he hasn't started a “magazine business”, it's hard not to see the adventure of the shot.
72's inaugural star Julia Roberts looks brilliant on the clothes of Phoebe Philo and Tiffany Jewels (the actor's long-time designer Elizabeth Stewart curated the look). Roberts was interviewed by actor George Clooney.
The magazine can be purchased at newsstands for $20, including a story that spans fashion: American artist Amy Sherald, who famously portrayed Michelle Obama in 2018, has attracted attention from the focus of young painter Tyler Ballon; health characteristics discuss life span. Interior design photo articles include Oprah Winfrey, Stella McCartney and Priyanka Chopra. There is a classic fashion spill over the coats and essential bags, and it is combined with more surprising, niche stories, such as profiles of French design collective stockists or interviews with emerging photographer Jude Lartey. The final story reveals Marc Jacobs’ 11-point habits from bedtime.
There are more than 6,000 words in the widespread conversation between Roberts and Clooney. Harris said neither of the two stars’ teams tried to step in it. “I sent it to Julia and the people of George to approve it, and they literally took out very small, tiny pieces,” she added, “It's just very real and real, their friendship is the real friendship.”
What is behind the decision to wear Robert on the cover? “So many women feel invisible in their fifties,” Enninful said. “And I think inclusion is not only about race, but about age.”
“When we landed on her, it was a consistent 'yes',” Harris said.
“Besides being one of the biggest movie stars in the world, she is her own,” Ennedin said. “She is a mother. She's great… She's a real person despite that.”
Magazine covers should be talked about. If the initial response is to do anything, this is not Enninful's most viral and viral launch (his penultimate fashion question is also in front of Roberts, and Instagram revealed that compared to the 11,000 photos received by his new 72 cover, Instagram revealed over 70,000 likes. It also didn't inspire many hits (another logo for successful covers), despite some quiet complaints about the overall look and feel.
“Ennininful obviously wants to make his debut. He may be able to solve several problems: Maybe Oprah will be on the next cover, and then maybe Leonardo DiCaprio. But I don't know much about why this cover isn't a more visual arrest,” she wrote in the newsletter. She elaborated on the comments, adding: “It seems to be the best version of a magazine on-site. Ennininful is able to arrest the visuals, but that's not ambitious enough.”
“In my first 1:1 with him, I asked, ‘What is your preferred way of communication?’ He casually said, “Just send me a message on WhatsApp. ”
Simone Oliver
Despite (albeit mild) criticism, Enninful still has a lot of support behind him and the cover cannot cancel the trailer. The comments below his post are from a series of celebrities, from Naomi Campbell to Salmon Rushdie.
His team is also very hard-working. For Harris, the decision to join Enninful's new career was simple. “The highlight of those fashion years was working with him,” she said. “Everyone was talking about inclusion and diversity, but I think he did make that change, and I think it really came down to him… When he asked me, I didn’t think about it. I was like, ‘I’m in.
Oliver was equally enthusiastic. “Working with Edward is full of vitality. He conceived and moved quickly, he is a speech and super collaborative. He can also access and connect.” “In my first 1:1 with him, I asked, ‘What is your preferred way of communicating?’ He casually said, “Just send me a message on WhatsApp.” ”
He is also flexible. “People forget, it's frightening,” he said. “People forget that I'm from a country where I have to escape,” referring to leaving Ghana as a kid in a political turmoil and immigrating to London with his parents (his father was an Army general) and five siblings from the early 1980s, who spoke in the details of 2022 on February 2, 2022. “Going away was never a problem for me.” ”
Margaret Thatcher's young, black, and unknown gay immigrants proved to be the building of characters. Enninful thrived in his environment and seized all his opportunities in those early years in London, including his big breakthrough: the opportunity to simulate for photographer Nick Knight. (The filming of ID magazine brought him through the championship door.)
He has been loud since then in terms of diversity and inclusion, and even if it isn't stylish, his voice has been loud. In 2016, he was appointed an official of the Order of the British Empire (or OBE, a high-end British honor) to “serve the diversity of the fashion industry”.
In Enninful's opening letter for his new magazine (a space normally reserved for the editor), he writes, “Throughout my life, I have witnessed how self-expression and diverse ways of seeing can enhance the cultural conversation. We are launching 72 at a pivotal point in our public discussion: in a time that calls for creativity's ability to connect us; when we hanker for the joy it inspires, and the inclusion It generates. We envisioned this magazine is an open-minded cultural community, radical thinkers, new artists and underrepresented voices aligned with icons and legendary visionaries… We hope it becomes an invitation to work together, work together, and create something new – better – together”.
It is too early to say whether the EE72 team will be good at making real new things and transformative commitments. But if anyone bets on who will shape the future of fashion publishing, Enninful is definitely running.