Did ex-Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman hit out at Edward Enninful and Naomi Campbell?
Shulman’s article on what makes a great editor seems a thinly veiled swipe at successor Enninful, while her comments on lazy contributing editors could be in retaliation to Campbell’s criticisms on diversity during her tenure
Former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has hit out at what she described as a new guard of fashion editors, who she said were no longer magazine journalists but instead “celebrities or fashion personalities with substantial social media followings”.
Her remarks appear to be a thinly veiled swipe at her successor, Edward Enninful, who frequently shares pictures of himself with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and other leading fashion models across a string of websites.
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Writing for the Business of Fashion website, Shulman asked the question: “what makes a great magazine editor?” She concluded that editing was “certainly not a job for someone who doesn’t wish to put in the hours and thinks that the main part of their job is being photographed in a series of designer clothes with a roster of famous friends”.
Shulman did not mention anybody by name but her comments emerged amid signs of a growing rift between her and her successor at the influential magazine, which she edited for more than 25 years.
In August, Naomi Campbell, a friend of Enninful’s, criticised the lack of diversity at British Vogue under Shulman’s tenure by posting a photo of the magazine’s staff under her leadership. It showed there were no black employees in a workforce of around 50. She also thanked Enninful for appointing her as a contributing editor to the magazine.
However, in her article, Shulman questioned the value of appointing high-profile “contributing editors”, asking again whether they were prepared to work hard enough to justify their status.
