Edward Enninful
The role of fashion stylists is still a mystery to many people worldwide simply because its not a phrase with meaning that is readily available in any dictionary. However, fashion stylists have risen significantly from obscurity into the limelight in the last decade primarily because of the symbiotic relationship between the global entertainment and fashion industry. With the increase in culture of celebrity styling, juicy wardrobe styling for television series such as Sex and the City and stylists becoming celebrities themselves, stylists now have a defined role in the world of fashion as interpreters of fashion.
One of such is Edward Enninful, a Ghanaian born, London raised stylist who has placed Africa on the map in the global world of styling and fashion. He was discovered on the train in London by acclaimed photographer Nick Knight for modelling but his creative eye soon earned him a place as the youngest fashion editor ever of an international fashion magazine at the age of 18 for i-D magazine where he remains a fashion Editor at Large for i-D and other notable publications such as Italian Vogue, Japanese Vogue, L’uomo Vogue and American Vogue.
Edward Enninful’s collaborations with photographers reads like a who is who in the world of photography – Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Emma Summerton, Stephen Meisel, Craig Mcdean, Stephen Klein, Tesh, Paolo Roversi, Mikael Jansson etc thus earning him a place in the commemorative book by Vogue; Stylist – The Interpreters of Fashion first published in 2007. Suzy Menkes described him in The New York Times as “the gentle fashion revolutionary” with a softer but edgy approach to styling, Enninful creates fashion stories with street culture as a strong inspiration and an eye for a modern strong woman with a twist. Enninful has a string of fashion editorials, advertising campaigns and fashion shows under his belt and he is no doubt blazing the trail in an industry that has come to realise that no fashion show, fashion editorial, advertising campaign and in some cases, design house is complete without the contributions of a fashion stylist.
What we love best about him? Enninful attributes his eye for fashion to his mother, a seamstress and fantastic designer.
SHF credits www.lexposure.net, www.forumsthefashionspot.com, www.vogue.com
