Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has said he turned down advertising from major fashion brands who do not share his vision of inclusivity.
Enninful, 51, who took up the top role at the fashion magazine in 2017, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he was told “inclusivity equals downmarket” earlier in his tenure.
Promoting May’s issue, titled Reframing Fashion, which has five disabled cover stars, he said he was prepared to take a financial hit to support values of diversity and inclusivity in his magazine.
“We have turned down so many ads in the past. When I started in 2017, I said we’re going to create a magazine about inclusivity, that features all different races, and I was told ‘inclusivity equals downmarket’.
“It wasn’t until the magazine came out and the world received it in such a great way that people became convinced. So we had to turn people away who didn’t really share our vision. That’s something we’re not scared of doing.”
Enninful refused to name the companies he had turned away but revealed they were “major fashion brands”.
He told the programme he worked with Sinéad Burke on May’s edition, who runs accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, which has advised brands like Netflix and Starbucks on how to make their businesses more disability-friendly.
The issue focuses on 19 disabled people in total from fashion, sport and the arts. Among the cover stars are the actor Selma Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, and the model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down’s syndrome. Other contributors include the racing driver Nicolas Hamilton and the comedian Rosie Jones, who both have cerebral palsy.
Enninful said the edition was a continuation of his mission to boost inclusivity and diversity in the fashion industry.
“Diversity, inclusivity, it’s all under the same roof, when you shine a light on people who have always been ‘othered’ or seen as outsiders, this has always been a mission of ours at Vogue.”
He said he was in part influenced by his own experience of “invisible disability” as he experiences visual and hearing impairments as well as a blood disorder.
Pressed on featuring models of a variety of sizes, Enninful insisted he was “diligent” and ensured a range of sizes were reflected in every edition of British Vogue.
