Fashion Book Fridays: A Visible Man by Edward Enninful
"From the Ghanaian streets to Vogue's glossy pages, Edward Enninful didn't just break ceilings—he glitter-bombed them."
There are books that inform, books that inspire, and then there are books like Edward Enninful's A Visible Man, which speak directly to your soul. This week's pick for Fashion Book Friday is a personal one. I didn't just read this book; I walked with it, literally. With the audiobook narrating my daily strolls, Enninful's voice—so composed, so measured, so quietly triumphant—became my afternoon mantra.
If you've followed jandrewspeaks.com for a while, you'll know that I revel in fashion stories that are anything but typical. And Enninful's rise—from a Ghanaian refugee in London to the first Black and queer editor-in-chief of British Vogue—is the epitome of the non-linear, non-traditional, and glorious fashion trajectory we live for. This is not just a memoir; it's a manifesto of resilience, reinvention, and style with substance.
A VISIBLE MAN
The Man Behind the Vision
Born in Ghana, Enninful takes us by the hand and walks us through his early childhood in Tema, Ghana. Edwards's love of fashion started early in life as he watched his seamstress mother build a successful dressmaking business. The joy Enninful describes feeling while flipping through Ebony, Jet and Time magazines at his aunt's hair salon in Tema ("it was a big deal in Ghana to get American magazines") inspires nostalgia for the days when getting your hands on a glossy issue was a thrill. And his memories of 1980s London will make readers wish they could go back in time and walk down the streets of Ladbroke Grove with the shy young Edward.
Raised in London, Edward Enninful entered the fashion world as a model before quickly pivoting to styling, a move that would redefine editorial aesthetics in Britain. By the age of 18, he was fashion director at i-D—a title that, for most, would mark the summit of success. But Enninful was only just getting started. His career would arc across publications and continents, culminating in his appointment as Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue in 2017. With it, he became the first Black man and the first openly gay man to hold the title.
It's this journey—equal parts grace, grit, and Gucci—that forms the heart of A Visible Man. Enninful doesn't sugarcoat the industry. He talks candidly about racism, classism, sizeism, and the general inertia of the fashion establishment. But what's striking is his capacity to stay rooted in kindness and vision. He doesn't just critique the system—he reconstructs it with intention.
Edward on the left.
The Enninfuls in Ghana
A young model.
Edward at I-D magazine.
Edward in his childhood
London neighbourhood.
Edward and his husband, Alec Maxwell.
Anna Wintour & Edward.
Edward gets OBE,
Baroness Amos & Naomi Campbell
A Visible Man by Edward Enninful
A Seat at the Table—And Then Rearranging It
Enninful's take on visibility isn't performative. It's profound. He reflects on what it means to be seen, not just as a Black man or a queer man, but as a creative force who dared to make space for others. From casting Adut Akech and Halima Aden, to the revolutionary Forces for Change cover co-created with Meghan Markle, Enninful didn't just showcase diversity—he insisted on it. And he did it all while dressed impeccably, I might add.
His reflections on queerness are compelling. Never reduced to soundbites or stereotypes, his identity is woven into the story with elegance and vulnerability. There's the young boy sneaking peeks at fashion magazines, the teenager wrestling with identity in a world that demanded erasure, and the adult man crafting a new narrative—one that embraced both his heritage and his truth.
For those of us who exist in the beautiful intersection of fashion and queerness, Enninful's story is not just validating—it's revolutionary. I saw myself in his words. I heard the echoes of my aspirations, doubts, and triumphs. If I could emulate anyone's career, it would be Edward's. And that's not just admiration—that's alignment.
The Sound of Success
Listening to the audiobook version added an intimate layer to the experience. Enninful narrates it himself, and hearing his cadence—calm, thoughtful, deeply assured—was like getting a one-on-one mentorship session with fashion's most elegant disruptor. It's the kind of audiobook that makes your walks feel like fashion pilgrimages.
The Verdict: Required Reading (and Listening)
A Visible Man is more than a memoir—it's a mirror for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider in fashion or culture at large. It's an honest exploration of what it takes to be seen, and what responsibility comes with that visibility. It's about fashion, yes—but it's also about family, identity, race, queerness, and the quiet revolution of showing up as yourself.
This book reminded me why I started writing about fashion in the first place. Behind every collection, every campaign, every catwalk, there are real people with real stories. Edward Enninful's story happens to be one of the most compelling—and stylish—of our time.
So if you're looking for your next fashion read or need a boost of queer brilliance and editorial magic, A Visible Man deserves a top spot on your list.
Have you read or listened to A Visible Man? What part of Enninful's story spoke to you the most? Let's talk career dreams, visibility, and what it really means to be seen in fashion.
CIAO FOR NOW, J. ANDREW JACKSON