This reporting appears as one of several scoops featured in this week’s edition of Confider, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media. Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.
The relationship between Anna Wintour and her protégé Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue, has turned frosty, Condé Nast insiders tell Confider, as Enninful is apparently gunning for the Iron Lady of Gloss’ plum job.
Enninful, who has spent the last several weeks on a nonstop book tour promoting his memoir, A Visible Man, believes he can do a better job than Wintour atop the Vogue brand, according to multiple people who’ve spoken with him. He has generated much buzz for the British edition of the iconic mag since taking over in 2017, getting his mega-celebrity friends like Rihanna and Beyoncé to appear on the cover.
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Condé sources are adamant, however, that Wintour will not be leaving her perch anytime soon, leading many to speculate that she may try to appease Enninful by finding him another top job within the media empire.
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One possible scenario: Whenever David Remnick steps down as editor of The New Yorker, Wintour would replace him with current Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones, opening a seat for Enninful to take over the prestigious outlet.
Enninful has much in common with Wintour: He’s earned the nickname “Queen Mother” among British Vogue staffers because of his alleged diva-like behavior that, per people familiar with the situation, includes having assistants lead him around through meetings and carry his glasses and his eye drops and help apply them. He is also known to tell colleagues to “call Darnell”—a reference to Darnell Strom, his powerful agent at UTA—when asked for simple requests, according to people who work closely with him.
Enninful’s absence earlier this month at Vogue World, a major NYC fashion event for both Condé and Wintour, raised eyebrows among staffers, considering he was in New York promoting his book at the same time—further fueling claims that fiery tensions exist between the pair.
“I’m happy working in Europe,” Enninful told The New York Times last month when asked if he has ambitions to run the Vogue mothership. “But you never know what the future holds.”
A rep for Condé did not respond to requests for comment.
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