British Vogue announced Monday that Chioma Nnadi will replace Edward Enninful as the head of the magazine.
Nnadi — described as a “Vogue veteran” by Condé Nast, the publishing house that owns Vogue — will be the first Black woman to edit the historic fashion title.
She will hold the title head of editorial content, rather than inherit Enninful’s current title of editor-in-chief (in keeping with many other international editions of Vogue, where top editors of the magazine in France, Italy, India and Japan, have the same designation).
Nnadi, who is of Nigerian and Swiss-German descent, was born and raised in London and began her career in journalism at the British publication the Evening Standard Magazine before moving to New York.
She joined American Vogue in 2010. She is currently the editor of the US magazine’s website and a star writer at the title, having written recent cover stories on musicians Rihanna and Erykah Badu and model Cara Delevingne.
In a statement, Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director of Vogue said: “Chioma is beloved among her colleagues at Vogue and is an editor and writer with an impeccable reputation — both here and in the fashion industry at large. I’m so grateful to Edward Enninful for everything he’s accomplished at British Vogue, and we’re all looking forward to a productive and creative relationship with him in his new role. I can’t think of a more worthy person to follow in his footsteps than Chioma.”
Wintour went on to describe Nnadi as being “passionate about fashion, music and culture” and exclaimed she “couldn’t be happier” about her appointment to the role.
During his six-year-long tenure at British Vogue, Enninful — who announced his shock departure in June — won praise for creating a more diverse magazine, featuring people of all skin colours, body shapes and backgrounds.
He plans to remain at Condé Nast in an advisory role which he has previously said gives him “the freedom to take on broader creative projects.”
Of Nnadi’s appointment, Enninful said in a statement that he was “thrilled,” calling her “a brilliant and unique talent with real vision, who will take the publication to ever greater heights.”
Speaking about her new role, Nnadi said she was “beyond excited and honoured” to have been appointed, adding: “As someone who was born and raised in London, the energy of the city — its boundary-pushing style and creative scene — has shaped the way I look at the world.”
In an interview with The Guardian, Nnadi said: “Is there pressure? Yeah, there’s definitely pressure – it’s Vogue,” and added, “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.”