London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Nov 16, 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
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
×