Last week, Edward Enninful announced on his Instagram page that his memoir, “A Visible Man,” will be coming in September 2022. Edward Enninful is the European editorial director of Vogue and editor-in-chief of British Vogue, taking the helm of the magazine on August 1, 2017. In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globally — where he has placed a “diversity of perspective” at its core.
Below is Enninful’s entire Instagram post:
“Coming September 2022 my memoir – A Visible Man
I think it would be fair to say that since I started working in fashion some 30 years ago, as a 16-year-old model turned fashion editor from West London at the tail end of the 1980s, I have barely paused for breath. There were scores of magazine shoots and era defining catwalk shows of course, but beyond the artistry and glamour of it all, I always felt like a man on a mission; an outsider who had found his way to the inner sanctum, bringing my own perspective to bear on an industry I loved but wanted to see evolve. And so I worked every hour of every day at breakneck speed.
Then the world turned on its head. In the last two years, the frantic hustle of fashion slowed a little – and alongside it came a powerful moment of societal change. Suddenly, all the things I had worked so hard to champion in my career – inclusively, opportunity, beauty in all its forms – felt as if they were top of the agenda. As Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue and Vogue’s European Editorial Director, I’ve been extremely blessed with a platform to lead some of those conversations, and so – with a moment of calm to myself – the time had come to tell my own story for the first time.
I wanted to share my own experiences from childhood to the offices of Vogue, and show how anyone can make change in the world, with a little passion, perseverance and a pure heart. I’m so excited to bring my upcoming memoir to readers in September 2022. When all is said and done, I just want everyone to feel like no matter where they come from in life or whatever their dream is, they can grasp it. Just like I did.”
Enninful has described his vision for British Vogue as “about being inclusive. It’s not just the color of your skin but the diversity of perspective.” His digital prowess and drive to break the storied title into previously unreported coverage areas has seen the publication reach new, younger audiences across social media, video and online. Digital traffic at the title grew by 7.8 percent in 2018 to 14.8 million monthly unique users, while print circulation has increased 1.1 percent since 2017.
Ghanaian-born Enninful began his career as fashion director of British youth culture magazine i-D at age 18, the youngest ever to have been named an editor at a major international fashion title. After moving to London with his parents and six siblings at a young age, Enninful was scouted as a model on the train at 16 and briefly modelled for Arena and i-D magazines before assisting stylists Simon Foxton and Beth Summers on fashion shoots. During this period, he was introduced to i-D Founder Terry Jones, who named him fashion editor after Summers left.
You can pre-order your copy of “An Visible Man” from Penguin Random House, here.
—
Photo Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com