Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue and the European editorial director of Vogue, has been named recipient of the Trailblazer Award at the 2023 Fashion Awards taking place on Dec. 4 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Fashion Awards, organised by the Bfc, is the primary fundraiser for the Bfc Foundation and celebrates the role of fashion at the intersection of culture and entertainment, spotlighting creative talent and telling the stories of the year in fashion through the lens of purpose, excellence, and creativity. Enninful will be awarded for his trailblazing career as a stylist, editor, and creative director.

“We are thrilled to honor Edward Enninful with the Trailblazer Award for his immense contributions to the fashion industry," said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council. "Enninful is a highly influential figure, with his ground-breaking work and collaborations transcending fashion and profoundly impacting wider culture. A fierce campaigner for diversity and inclusion in everything he does, Enninful has shaped a new vision for fashion media through his tenure as editor-in-chief at British Vogue, not only in the UK but globally. We look forward to celebrating with him in December.”

Enninful began his career as a model and styling assistant before being named Fashion Director of i-D at age 18, making him the youngest person ever to have been named an editor at a major international fashion title. In his role at i-D, Enninful’s fashion stories pushed boundaries by fusing provocative elegance with a radical narrative and featured some of the industry's biggest names.

Enninful’s approach to storytelling was also seen in his work in American Vogue and Vogue Italia, where he was a contributing editor, frequently collaborating with photographer Steven Meisel. In 2011, he took over the position of Fashion and style director of W Magazine, and was awarded an Obe for his services to diversity in the fashion industry.

Enninful is currently the European editorial director of Vogue and was named the first black editor-in-chief of British Vogue in August 2017. In 2024, Enninful will be stepping into the newly appointed position of editorial advisor of British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue. In his six years as editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Enninful has challenged traditional beauty standards and transformed the fashion media landscape with his iconic editions.

Enninful’s covers also consistently feature and empower strong women and changemakers, including, Greta Thunberg, Judi Dench, Miriam Margolyes, Oprah Winfrey, and Rihanna. In 2022, Enninful released his Sunday Times bestselling book, A Visible Man, where he shares the inspiring story of his journey from Ghana to British Vogue.

The Fashion Awards bring together a global community in London, the home of fashion creativity, to amplify leaders of change, celebrate excellence in creativity , and support the next generation of creative talent. The event is the primary fundraiser of the Bfc Foundation, which supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving, and business mentoring. In the financial year 2022/2023, the Bfc remitted over £1.2m in funds to designers and scholars.

Photo: courtesy of Bfc