Edward Enninful Steps Down as British Vogue Editor-In-Chief

Edward Enninful, who has been the editor-in-chief of British Vogue for the past six years, is stepping down from his position. The move is actually a step up for the 51 year old, as Enninful will be assuming a new position at Vogue, acting as the cultural and global creative advisor. This position is aimed at growing the magazine’s brand globally. 

Photo: Yara Nardi via BBC

The Ghanaian-British director is the first Black man to hold the editor-in-chief position at this magazine, and has played a pivotal role in pushing limits and breaking boundaries at the magazine. For example, the magazine recently featured its first disabled models, such as Ellie Goldstein, a 21 year old model with Down’s Syndrome and actress Selma Blair, who has multiple sclerosis. 

He has also placed people like Rihanna, activist Greta Thunberg, and Judi Dench on the cover. Dench, at 85, was the oldest ever Vogue cover model until this year, when a 106 year old artist graced the cover of Vogue Philippines. 

Now, the search for the next head of British Vogue is underway, although the title ‘editor-in-chief’ will no longer exist. Instead, in line with a more broad consolidation strategy being implemented by Conde Nast, Enninful’s replacement will bear the title ‘head of editorial content’. What this means for the magazine is that content will overlap more and more across different markets. While cover shoots remain different, other shoots and interviews are printed in Vogue across multiple countries. 

Image via The Guardian

This restructuring is a hint at what is going on behind the scenes at Vogue. Fashion magazines as a whole are struggling to remain afloat in an increasingly digitized world, where content is at our fingertips and many people no longer go out and buy physical magazines. While Vogue is a stronghold in the world of fashion, it is not immune to the changing media landscape. The new position that Enninful is assuming, as well as the consolidation of positions within the company is a hint to how Conde Nast is dealing with these changes. What that means in the long run for us, the consumers, remains to be seen.