British Vogue editor Edward Enninful said on Wednesday (July 15) on social media that he was “racially profiled” on entering his workplace.
Edward Enninful posted on his Instagram that: “Today I was racially profiled by a security guard whilst entering my work place.”
“As I entered, I was instructed to use the loading bay,” he added.
“Just because our timelines and weekends are returning to normal, we cannot let the world return to how it was. Change needs to happen. And it needs to happen now,” he said.
Reuters has approached both Edward Enninful and Condé Nast for further comment but none was forthcoming at the time of publication.
Celebrities reacted to Enninful’s post, with friend and supermodel Naomi Campbell saying: “When will this change? Been happening in UK for so long .. so sorry you had to go through that !! Don’t let it deter you. Stay STRONG”.
Somali supermodel Iman wrote that “Normal wasn’t working”, while Oscar-nominated actress and singer Cynthia Erivo said, “I’m so sorry!!!”.
British singer-songwriter Paloma Faith called it “devastating”, while British talk-show host Trisha Goddard admitted she was “once mistaken quote for the tea lady”.
Enninful added that employer Condé Nast “moved quickly to dismiss the security guard”.
“But it just goes to show that sometimes it doesn’t matter what you’ve achieved in the course of your life: the first thing that some people will judge you on is the colour of your skin,” he said.
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The British edition of Vogue appointed its first black editor in the publication’s 100-year history, Ghanaian-born Enninful, in April 2017. He succeeded Alexandra Shulman, who announced in January 2017 that she would be stepping down from the magazine after 25 years in charge.
Enninful joined from W magazine, where he has been fashion and creative director since 2011. Previously, he had also worked for the Italian and American versions of Vogue.
Enninful received his Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Buckingham Palace, in London, on October 27, 2016.
Black models, stylists and fashion photographers took to social media last month to post their own versions of Vogue covers, called “Vogue Challenge”, demanding change in the industry to ensure greater diversity and opportunities.
Vogue‘s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, apologized for “hurtful and intolerant” mistakes by the magazine during her 30-year tenure.
REUTERS
