Condé Nast has announced that journalist Chioma Nnadi will be the next editor of British Vogue.
Edward Enninful, the current editor of British Vogue, recently announced his departure after the March 2024 issue hits stands, The Guardian reports. A beloved stylist turned head of one of the top fashion magazines, Enninful has had a successful six-year tenure at the title, promoting diversity at the fashion magazine and ushering British Vogue into the future.
Enninful also made history by becoming the first male and first Black editor of the title.
Nnadi will make history as the first Black woman to head the magazine. She currently serves as editor of US Vogue‘s website. But she will now transition into the head of editorial content role at British Vogue — which is a shift from the editor-in-chief title Enninful held.
The daughter of a Swiss-German mother and a Nigerian father, Nnadi grew up in London. She got her start at indie magazines like Trace and The Fader. She parlayed that work into a job with London’s Evening Standard before moving to New York to work for Vogue — where she’s served since 2010.
Her historic appointment is something Nnadi says she doesn’t take lightly, with the announcement coming on the heels of London Fashion Week.
“Is there pressure? Yeah, there’s definitely pressure – it’s Vogue. It still means something to be in Vogue, it still has authority. [And there’s pressure] because of Edward. He broke new ground. It’s more than being part of a magazine – it’s part of the cultural conversation,” said Nnadi.
The veteran journalist stayed away from the whirlwind of London Fashion Week in order to not give away any hint of her new appointment before the announcement. While Enninful has a styling background and Nnadi comes to the role as a journalist, she says the mission and what it takes to achieve it remains the same.
“The impulse is the same, regardless of whether you style or write. Edward had that instinct, even though his background is different to mind,” Nnadi explained. “But the question will always be, how do we capture the zeitgeist. It’s important to think about who is telling the story, and whose story we are telling.”
In her new role, Nnadi will focus on digital storytelling and making sure Vogue is interacting with its readers in a way that keeps them engaged. She’ll work closely with Anna Wintour to ensure Vogue’s continued success. And while diversity and inclusion are always going to be a priority, Nnadi believes there’s been lots of progress and plans to bring her unique lens to the work.
“As a Black woman, but also as a biracial woman, how I view the world is also how I see it – through a lens that is influenced by my background, by where I live, and by having parents from different cultures and having to move between these cultures,” she said. “Things have changed a lot. When I started out, there was one other Black person working in the building, and we both went to the same college. It wasn’t the same place it is now. Obviously matters of diversity and inclusion should always be on the agenda, but it feels like more of an open conversation now, and that feels to me like progress.”
Nnadi will move from her New York office back to her hometown of London and is set to step into her new role as editor of British Vogue on October 9th. Enninful is expected to eventually transition to an advisory role with Condé Nast.
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