Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Creating Meaningful Change
Fashion icon EDWARD ENNINFUL has spent over three decades promoting minority and ethnically diverse talent. As the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Enninful is a trailblazer for underrepresented communities in fashion. Enninful’s work fostering diversity in fashion has been honored with the British Fashion Awards’ Trailblazer Award. Making first responders, octogenarians, and civil rights activists cover models, spearheading the landmark “The Black Issue,” and producing the first braille issue are a few of Enninful’s many achievements in pushing Vogue to represent the world we live in today. In this enlightening conversation, Enninful discusses his tools for meaningful change in legacy organizations, sharing his many achievements increasing diversity as a changemaker in one of the world’s most exclusive industries.
Entrepreneurship: For Leaders at Every Level
Fashion icon EDWARD ENNINFUL’s diverse career pursuits have molded his uniquely holistic perspective on the spirit of entrepreneurship. Enninful has shaped some of the most influential international fashion houses as a stylist, through his creative input coordinating fashion shoots for magazines, catwalk shows, reinventing brands, and high-profile advertising campaigns on top of his lauded work as a fashion editor. From his positions of power, Enninful scouts, uplifts, and gives regular exposure to underrepresented topics, talent, and models. This talk is Enninful’s guide to building your business community, spotting talent, growing meaningful brands, and remaining scrappy in the face of success.
Cultural Leadership
Visionary stylist EDWARD ENNINFUL played a pivotal role in shaping fashion’s history over the last three decades, earning his long-standing reputation for delivering creative and impactful images in his editorials as well as championing emerging talent within the industry. As an advocate for diverse voices, Enninful spearheaded “The Black Issue” of Vogue featuring only Black models, making a substantial impact within the fashion industry and starting a necessary dialogue among the wider public audience that continues today. In this discussion, Enninful breaks down what it means to be a leader on the cutting edge of culture, reflecting on how he has shaped global fashion while upholding the prestigious legacies of the brands he represents.
Driving Creativity
Fashion icon EDWARD ENNINFUL has helped shape the vision of some of the most influential international fashion houses as a stylist, through his creative input coordinating fashion shoots for magazines, catwalk shows, reinventing brands, and high-profile advertising campaigns. He has advised on campaigns for global fashion leaders such as Gucci, Dianne von Furstenberg, Dio, Valentino, Versace, and many more. In this engaging conversation, Enninful engages audiences with his story of creative growth, discussing the development of creative fundamentals applicable to any industry or pursuit.
In Conversation with Edward Enninful
When iconic stylist EDWARD ENNINFUL became the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, few in the world of fashion wanted to confront how it failed to represent the world we live in. A life-long trailblazer in fashion, Enninful was scouted by the fashion industry at age 16, shortly after immigrating from Ghana to London’s Ladbroke Grove, and chosen as the youngest-ever fashion editor of an international publication, i-D Magazine, by age 18.
Enninful candidly shares how his experiences as a Black, gay, working-class refugee shaped his creative outlook. He tells the story of finding a home in fashion and the freedom to share with people the world as he saw it. In this engaging, insightful conversation, Enninful shares the perspective shaping his success, stories from the industry, and why he set out to change how the world understands beauty.
Edward Enninful’s memoir, ‘A Visible Man,’ provides insight into creative genius
As one of our culture’s most important changemakers, EDWARD ENNINFUL’s memoir, A Visible Man, is a poignant account of breaking barriers. Enninful recounts own experiences as a Black, gay, working-class refugee as an inspiration for his lifelong work uplifting underrepresented talent. Whether it’s putting first responders, octogenarians, or civil rights activists on the cover of Vogue, championing designers and photographers of color, or creating accessible braille issues, Enninful shows the beauty of diversity across his creative endeavors. Written with style, grace, and heart, A Visible Man shines a spotlight on the career of one of the greatest creative minds of our times. Enninful’s career holds the story of a visionary who changed not only an industry, but how we understand beauty.
Edward Enninful’s impact on the fashion industry uplifts diverse talent
Upon his appointment to Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue, EDWARD ENNINFUL’s goal was to “to talk about a new Britain, one that was inclusive.” As an advocate for diverse voices, Enninful spearheaded “The Black Issue” featuring only black models, showcasing, and celebrating Black creatives in the worlds of art, politics, and entertainment. This edition made a substantial impact within the fashion industry and started a necessary dialogue amongst the wider public audience that continues today. “The Black Issue” was so successful it prompted Condé Nast to print an extra 40K copies and remains the magazine’s best-selling edition to this day. Enninful has also helmed innovative issues including the magazine’s first braille edition and featuring five stars with disabilities on the May 2023 cover.
In 2016 after years of advocating for diversity, the British monarchy awarded Enninful with an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to diversity in the fashion industry. Enninful has also received the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator and was honored with the Trailblazer Award at the Britsh Fashion Awards. The Powerlist 2024 named him the U.K.’s “Most Powerful Black Person.” Enninful provides a highly sought, well-informed perspective on aesthetics, diversity, and culture.
Watch Edward Enninful in conversation with The Daily Show >>
Regarded as one of the most influential voices in fashion, Edward Enninful OBE has helped bring widespread distinction to the British and global fashion industry. Edward has spent over 30 years promoting minority and ethnically diverse talent and has strived to eliminate ethnic exclusion in the industry by uplifting and giving regular exposure to underrepresented topics, talent and models.
Born to a Ghanaian army officer and a seamstress, Edward became the youngest ever fashion editor of an international publication, i-D magazine at the age of 18. He quickly made his mark within the industry and by 1998 became a contributing fixture at Italia Vogue, catapulting him into world recognition as a leading stylist and cultural contributor. Here, as an advocate for diverse voices, Edward spearheaded "The Black Issue" which featured only black models, showcasing and celebrating black models and black women in the worlds of art, politics and entertainment. This edition made a substantial impact within the fashion industry and started a necessary dialogue amongst the wider public audience that continues today. From Italia Vogue, Edward continued to use his voice to make a positive impact in the industry with roles at American Vogue, W Magazine and most recently, British Vogue - becoming the only black person to serve as Editor-in-Chief in the history of Vogue globally. Edward's dedication to diversity in the fashion industry was honoured with the presentation of an OBE in 2016.
Edward has blazed a trail through his career and played a pivotal role in shaping fashion's history over the last three decades; from the grunge movement of the early 90's, to the supermodel era of the late 90's and the present fascination with personality models and celebrities. Known as fashion's gentle revolutionary, Edward has made a substantial impact on almost everybody he has worked with. He also has a long-standing reputation for delivering creative and impactful images in his editorials and championing emerging talent within the industry.
In addition to his editorial work, Edward has helped to shape the vision of some of the most influential international fashion houses as a stylist, through his creative input coordinating fashion shoots for magazines, catwalk shows, reinventing brands, advising on advertising campaigns working with brands such as Gucci, DVF (Diane von Furstenberg), Dior, Valentino and Versace amongst many others.
In 2022, Edward wrote and published his memoirs - A Visible Man - charting his life story to date. The memoir became a Sunday Times bestseller. Edward lives in London with his husband Alec and their two Boston Terriers Ru and RiRi.
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