London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Edward Enninful says Vogue disability issue is 'one of my proudest moments'

Edward Enninful says Vogue disability issue is 'one of my proudest moments'

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful has said working on May's issue, which has five disabled cover stars, was "one of the proudest moments of my career".

Titled Reframing Fashion, the edition focuses on 19 disabled people in total from fashion, sport and the arts.

The magazine's cover stars include actress Selma Blair, who has multiple sclerosis, and model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down's syndrome.

Enninful, 51, said he had "learned so much" from producing the issue.

"My tenure here at Vogue has always been about inclusivity and diversity, and people forget how hard it is for the disabled community," Enninful told the BBC.

Ellie Goldstein, 21, is a British model with Down's syndrome


He revealed last year in his memoir that he had visual and hearing impairments and a blood disorder, which he said present "challenges" in his role as editor-in-chief at British Vogue.

"It was so important I could relate - I felt real pride that people can actually speak up about disabilities and not have to hide it and how it impacts them.

"I think this is one of the most incredible issues I've had the privilege of editing in my tenure."

Nicolas Hamilton, half-brother of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis, is a racing driver with cerebral palsy


Other contributors to the new edition include racing driver Nicolas Hamilton and comedian Rosie Jones, who both have cerebral palsy, and Justina Miles, who is deaf and was the sign language interpreter at Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl half time show.

"What I loved about all of them is they all just speak up and champion their community by teaching the world to be more caring and understanding," Enninful said. "Anybody like that deserves to be on a British Vogue cover."

The May issue also features Sinéad Burke as a contributing editor and cover star. She runs accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, which has advised brands like Netflix and Starbucks on how to make their businesses more disability-friendly.

"Sinéad taught me that retail spaces are quite unfriendly to people with disabilities and that photographic studios are not designed to cater for them," Enninful said.

"She has really opened my eyes and taught me that a whole group of people are being ignored."

Sinéad Burke consulted Vogue on its disability issue and also appears as a cover star


Burke spoke to the BBC's Access All podcast about making sure all Vogue photoshoots for the issue were suitable.

"We surveyed every studio to learn what level of accessibility existed and then ensured the talent was set up to meaningfully participate," she said.

"What makes this issue so different is the way in which we think about visibility and representation moving from something that is solely based on image and the cover, to being in the room where decisions are made so that it's not a moment, it's a movement."

British Vogue said it hopes to represent some of the 16 million people living with invisible and visible disabilities in the UK, and show how the fashion industry can be more inclusive.

Enninful, who got the top job at British Vogue in 2017 and became European editorial director of Vogue in 2020, said he hopes to make the publication a more inclusive workplace.

"We want to carry this on and for people to see Vogue is taking that step... We're not perfect, but we have to create this welcoming space," he said.

One of the covers features Justina Miles, a deaf sign language interpreter who performed at Rihanna's Super Bowl half time show


It's an issue that got some media attention earlier this year when Victoria Jenkins appeared on BBC show Dragon's Den.

Having become disabled in her 20s, Jenkins discovered there were very few fashionable clothes on the market for people like her.

She founded her own brand Unhidden to cater for various disabilities.

I mentioned this to Enninful, and my own concerns as someone who has had inflammatory bowel disease for nearly 20 years and has had to resort to pyjamas and tracksuit bottoms during a flare-up or operation to feel comfortable.

"I always have conversations with designers and it's something we'll carry on with," Enninful said.

"But I think the more you raise awareness of what people go through, the more people will start thinking how they can be more inclusive."

Aaron Rose Philip appears on one of the Vogue covers - she is the first black, transgender and physically disabled model to receive a major modelling contract


Enninful said a big part of shooting this Vogue campaign involved making those involved feel like there was a place in the fashion industry for them.

Many people with both visible and hidden disabilities have not felt seen in the media, especially on the front of glossy and often airbrushed magazine covers.

"There were a lot of tears - a lot of them [models] didn't think photoshoots were for them and couldn't believe they were involved," he replied.

"Ellie [Goldstein] said it was her dream to be on the cover of Vogue and she said, seven years ago people would have laughed at her, but there she is, and everybody deserves to be seen.

"When this issue comes out, I hope a lot of disabled people will look at it and say, not only can I see myself on the pages of Vogue, but also in fashion."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×