Edward Enninful turns his attention from fashion to the world of art

Edward Enninful is one of the great minds of our time. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge and “why?” with a passion for questioning, creativity flows constantly in his veins. Knees finds the greatest fulfillment in research, immersing himself in various cultures, especially art. Enninful seeks to understand “the mechanics of things” and studies “the masters and their brushstrokes,” among other things. Although her career has taken her to the far corners of the fashion world, she is “as excited to see me as she is to go to the galleries. [designer] shows”. Art is essential to his quality of life, as it allows him to pause and see the world in a different way. So for Enninful’s next chapter, it’s to turn his creative gaze to the world of art.

It’s a misty, foggy winter morning in London as we sip our steaming coffees. The contrast is palpable with the warmth and “kaleidoscope” of colors he describes in his mother’s garment workshop in Ghana. These vivid and contrasting shades of his childhood play into his anything-goes philosophy, as fashion is “almost like a canvas on which anything goes.” As a young boy, he always sketched his ideas on paper. “I was obsessed with drawing. I would draw women day and night. I was drawing Naomi [Campbell] even before meeting him.” He describes these early years as a visual feast that set his imagination on fire, and instilled in him the basic foundation that “the eye must travel”.

Enninful’s hunger for information reached a fever pitch when he immigrated to Britain as a teenager and began devouring magazines. In a moment of in-between fate, 16-year-old Enninful was discovered on the London Underground by stylist Simon Foxton, who then propelled him into the world of fashion – first as a model, then a stylist and, at 18, an editor for id the magazine “I met Juergen Teller. I met Venetia Scott. Nick Knight. I remember my brain couldn’t even handle it. I couldn’t sleep. I woke up every day and very excited. And I still have that enthusiasm. It really came from my youth.”

With his first taste of the creative industry, Enninful was hooked. He was at home in a world dominated by fashion and art. “What I see always inspires me. id it was about what was happening on the street. What do young people wear? Being a young person creating a magazine for other young people was amazing. Musicians, actors, painters, you name it id is And for me I have always carried that ethos. It’s almost like punk rock.’ Reflecting on the times of creative liberation, he fondly remembers working with Franca Sozzani Vogue Italia, who he refers to as “one of the greatest editors of our time.” Sozzani and Enninful shared an artist-led, multidisciplinary approach to storytelling ethos. He continues, “Italian fashion it became the most artistic because you had 30 pages of stories based on an artist’s work. italian fashion It was the most influential fashion magazine of the 90s. I would go to him with my strange ideas, and he would commission eight stories. I think he was amused by me. I always had so much in my head that he would come out and edit it himself saying, ‘Okay, let’s do this, let’s do that.'”

Enninful is known for her distinguished career in fashion, yet she has had a life equally punctuated by art. He grew up in London at the height of the YBAs [Young British Artists] enthusiasm was at the center of everything. “British art was happening. White Cube was happening. Jay Jopling. Tracey Emin Because London was so small, we went everywhere together. I became so aware of the art scene. It was all about my generation of artists. So we took that knowledge, and it informed the work we did.” This momentous period left a lasting impact on her editorial choices, while also shaping the future of fashion. When he got the lead role in British fashion, continued to champion artists and writers, and then left an indelible mark on the industry. When asked which artists he turns to nowadays, he said, “I love black art. I love David Hammons, Wangechi [Mutu], Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. I love young artists. I like how women’s art comes to the fore. I like how black art is celebrated. I have always liked artists with an original point of view. Always themselves. Never follow fashions.’ Enninful’s commitment to authenticity also permeates its collection approach. “I can’t have anything in my house because it’s the most beautiful thing to have when I don’t have a personal relationship. I collect it for enjoyment.’ By the way, he has a beautiful collection of photos of his peers, including Steven Meisel, Juergen Teller and Steven Klein.

Fittingly, after years of organizing editorial shoots, Enninful has curated an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photography at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris. True to his character, Enninful painstakingly examined over 4,000 of the artist’s images. He set out to shed light on another side of Mapplethorpe’s work, causing ‘some tension’. As a result, the artist’s picture is being presented in harmony or juxtaposition. How does one determine when a couple is perfect? There is a moment, he says, when he gets a rush and a feeling of euphoria, indicating that a presentation feels good. With his infectious enthusiasm, Enninful adds: “It’s amazing to be in a world I’ve admired for so long. The world I have been a part of, as a participant, somehow. It’s a dream come true, really.” He also hints at upcoming collaborations with museums.

Edward Enninful has led a bold and colorful life, always asking himself, “How can I bring something into the system that challenges what people know?” After fashioning the narrative, the change to the realm of art is received with great anticipation. Ultimately, Enninful’s unique fusion of punk spirit and unwavering commitment to nurturing beauty marks him out as one of the leading innovators of our time.

Robert Mapplethorpe, curated by Edward Enninful, is at the Thaddaeus Ropac gallery in the Paris Marais until April 6; ropac.net

All material © Show Media Ltd