Edward Enninful brings together 40 ‘legendary women’ for his final British Vogue cover

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Edward Enninful has unveiled his putting final cover as Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue.

The function, titled “Legends Only” stars 40 iconic girls from throughout music, TV, movie and style, starting from Jane Fonda to his first-ever cover star Adowa Aboah, mannequin Naomi Campbell and Grammy-award winner Miley Cyrus, photographed by American photographer Steven Meisel and styled by Enninful.

Oprah Winfrey sits on the centre of the image, alongside Tennis participant Serena Williams and former Spice Girl turned clothier Victoria Beckham.

‌There are two mother-and-daughter pairings within the {photograph}: fashions Kate and Lila Moss, and Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber.

Enninful introduced in June that he can be stepping down from his function as Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue into a brand new function as Conde Nast’s world artistic and cultural advisor.

At the time, there was an avalanche of rumours that steered that Enninful and Anna Wintour – Editor-In-Chief of American Vogue and the chief content material officer of Condé Nast – had been feuding.

Writing in The Mail Plus on the time, ex-British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman claimed that regardless of Enninful’s “international influence”, he was “ultimately always playing second fiddle to Anna Wintour” throughout the firm.

Enninful, who grew to become the primary black homosexual man to edit the journal in 2017, is credited with making the journal extra numerous and inclusive, and for reimagining what it means to be a British Vogue cover star.

For his outgoing editor’s letter – his 76th version of the journal all through his six-and-half-year tenure – Enninful stated that he confronted adversity when he made it his objective to “change things up” and enhance the variety of the faces featured within the pages of the journal.

“I still recall, during my early tenure here in 2017, brainstorming my first issues, when a senior company staffer said these words to me: ‘Diversity equals downmarket,’” Enninful wrote.

“I was shocked, of course, but also genuinely confused. Were people really so… what’s a non-confrontational phrase I can reach for here? Shall we go with “close-minded”? Or had been there – are there – nonetheless folks unable to see the world for the way it really is?”

He stated: “Never be too wedded to the past, and absolutely never let the wrong voices in your head.”

Enninful added that when his first cover was launched, that includes black mannequin and activist Adwoa Aboah, it was seen as a “shock to the system”.

(*40*)

He known as out Vogue as a “key offender” in selling the dearth of range in style trade.

“Non-white cover stars had been viewed for so long as commercial nonstarters (this magazine had been a key offender, in fact). How ridiculous, I thought. And so it proved. Our first cover was a hit and by September of the following year, I remember standing in a newsagent and seeing almost all of the covers on all of the fashion magazines featuring Black and brown women.”

Enninful stated he seems again on his tenure with satisfaction and happiness, and that he and his workforce had been capable of present that Vogue had the capability to “reflect and engage with society through fashion in a more head-on and meaningful way than any of us had previously imagined.”

During his tenure, Laverne Cox, the primary out trans individual featured on the cover of Vogue in 2019, whereas the primary 80-somethings – Judi Dench in 2020 and Miriam Margolyes in 2023 – additionally coated the journal.

He turned the highlight on activists, frontline staff, in addition to a “new vanguard of disabled talent” for final 12 months’s May difficulty.

Other culture-shaping points included Beyoncé on a stallion (2022), Rihanna and little one (2023), Rihanna in a durag (2020).

In 2019, Nadine Ijewere grew to become the primary photographer of color to shoot a British Vogue cover, starring singer Dua Lipa.

The full listing of cover stars on Enninful’s outgoing difficulty are: Adwoa Aboah, Adut Akech, Simone Ashley, Victoria Beckham, Selma Blair, Naomi Campbell, Vittoria Ceretti, Gemma Chan, Jodie Comer, Laverne Cox, Cindy Crawford, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Debose, Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn.

They are joined by Paloma Elsesser, Karen Elson, Cynthia Erivo, Linda Evangelista, Jane Fonda, Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid, Salma Hayek, Iman, Maya Jama, Jameela Jamil, Karlie Kloss, Precious Lee, Dua Lipa, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate Moss, Lila Moss, Rina Sawayama, Irina Shayk, Anya Taylor-Joy, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, Serena Williams, Oprah, and Anok Yai.

Signing off his final editor’s letter, Enninful stated that regardless of transferring into his new function he’s “determined to keep championing the incredible array of voices in fashion and media, and ensure we keep the energy explosion of the last few years going”.

Following Enninful’s departure, editor of Vogue.com, Chioma Nnadi, age has been appointed Editor-In-Chief of British Vogue.

Her journey at Vogue started as a author in 2010. Rising by way of the ranks, she was then promoted to style information director and, most lately, editor of Vogue.com.

The London-born journalist Nnadi would be the first Black lady to guide the legendary style journal since its inception in 1916. When he appointment was introduced, she stated she was “beyond excited and honoured”, to be made British Vogue’s head of editorial content material.

The March 2024 difficulty of British Vogue is on sale from 13 February 2024.