Author(s): Edward Enninful

Gay Male & Bi Biography/Memoir | Polari Prize 2023

When Edward Enninful became first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, few at the heights of the elitist world of fashion wanted to confront how it failed to represent the world we live in.  But Edward, a champion of inclusion throughout his life, rapidly changed that.

From a childhood in Ghana amid riotous colour and strong Black women, to being discovered by a fashion editor on the London Underground at the age of sixteen, to taking the helm of Britain's most influential fashion publication, A Visible Man traces an astonishing journey into one of the world's most exclusive industries. 

Taking us into the heady, wild and vibrant fashion scene of 1980s London and beyond, Edward details how as a Black, gay, working-class refugee, he found in fashion not only a home, but the freedom to share with people the world as he saw it and to tell the story of the times we're in.

Now, whether it's putting first responders, octogenarians or civil rights activists on the cover of Vogue, or championing designers and photographers of colour, Edward Enninful has cemented his status as one of the world's most important change-makers.  And he's just getting started.

Written with style, grace and heart, this is the story of a visionary who has changed how we understand beauty.

September 2022

Polari Prize Shortlist 2023