Print has become more powerful than ever’: Edward Enninful launches new magazine
The Guardian
The publication has recently been criticised by fashion fans for becoming too mainstream. Its latest issue, which landed on shelves on Monday, co-stars the models Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner. Malle described her recent digital cover story on Lauren Sanchez Bezos as a “calculated risk”.
The PR consultant and author Mark Borkowski says Enninful’s rebrand would have been carefully considered. In June 2023 when he announced he was leaving British Vogue after six years as editor-in-chief in addition to four years as European editorial director of Vogue, there were rumours Enninful had been forced out after a power struggle with Wintour. “There were obituary-type pieces written about Enninful,” Borkowski says. “Some felt he had risen to a pedestal he wasn’t worthy of.”
Now it appears we are entering the era of rivalry 2.0. For anyone who thought Enninful had fallen off his path to rise to the top of the fashion chain, this phoenix-like comeback hints that he believes his journey is not over.
“The launch shows he is a very powerful person and influencer,” Borkowski says. “But being an entrepreneur brings added baggage. You are not the product of an empire. Now it’s about the quality of the team he builds. Every move he makes will be pored over. He cannot fail.”