How Vogue's new editor Edward Enninful was spotted on the Tube and talked out of becoming a lawyer

Stylist Simon Foxton spotted him on the London Underground in the late-Eighties
Enninful in a shoot for i-D magazine in 1991, styled by Simon Foxton

The man who gave the new editor of British Vogue his first break today told of the moment he spotted Edward Enninful on the Tube - and how his mum had to be persuaded he should follow a career in fashion instead of the law.

The 45-year-old Londoner shocked the fashion world this week by being named the title’s first ever male editor.

He replaces Alexandra Shulman, who announced in January she is quitting the magazine this summer after 25 years at its helm.

The meteoric rise of Ghanaian-born Enninful, from Ladbroke Grove, to the top of the fashion world started at the age of 16 when stylist Simon Foxton spotted him on the London Underground in the late-Eighties.

Enninful in a shoot for i-D magazine in 1991, styled by Simon Foxton
Simon Foxton

The teenager had moved to London as a child with his six siblings from the Enyan Denkyira region of central Ghana, where a number of his relatives still live, and attended Kingsway College near King’s Cross.

His parents had hopes for him to become a lawyer but his life changed when Foxton, who worked for cult magazines i-D and Arena, approached him on the Hammersmith and City line.

Edward Enninful - in pictures

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Speaking today of that fateful meeting, Foxton told the Standard: "He was a very good-looking young man. The story has become quite apocryphal. I stopped him on the Tube as I was a scout for non-agency models. I asked him to model and he was interested but needed to ask his mum."

"She was more unsure. I don’t remember him having a burning ambition to get into fashion - I remember him wanting to go into law."

"He did a couple of shoots and saw what was possible."

Speaking last year about the meeting, Enninful told the Daily Telegraph: "I saw this man who kept staring at me. I was trying not to freak out. Then we got to King’s Cross, he came over, gave me a card and said, ‘My name is Simon Foxton and I’m a stylist for i-D and Arena and I work with Nick Knight, and I’d love you to model for me.’"

After taking part in shoots for Foxton, and also with world-renowned photographer Nick Knight, Enninful then became Foxton’s assistant.

Soon he was introduced to i-D’s founder, Terry Jones, who later appointed him the youngest-ever fashion editor of an international magazine when he took over at the title aged just 18, abandoning an art degree course at Goldsmiths.

Alexandra Shulman - in pictures

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In 1998 he moved to Italian Vogue, then American Vogue, before working full-time as fashion and style director of W Magazine.

Foxton said Enninful had told him he was overjoyed to have been chosen for the illustrious job: "I spoke to him on Monday after the news was announced. He said he was surprised and completely delighted."

"He was obviously very busy and had a lot of people to speak to. He said he was excited and looking forward to starting."

Foxton said he was "absolutely over the moon" for his friend, adding: "It is fantastic we have a young man at the helm."

He said Enninful’s success was in large part down to his amazingly warm personality: "He is a people person - that is his strength. He really likes people and people like him."

"He is a very, very attractive personality. He remembers everyone’s name and face - he’s encyclopedic. And his parties are pretty legendary."

Despite mixing with A-listers and attending glamorous parties, Enninful has never been particularly flamboyant, Foxton said: "When he started working for me he was quite scruffy."

"I remember once one of the arms of his glasses broke off and he simply tied a piece of string to the frame and wrapped it around his ear. He always had his own sartorial style."

Simon Foxton

Schoolfriend Sylvia Amoah said Enninful was a "practical joker" at school and that she was surprised he forged a career in fashion.

She said: "He was very popular. I never knew he was into fashion but me and my friends would dress funkily and he would always comment on my hair and clothes."

"Both our parents are from Ghana and we would joke about what our parents would say. They were quite strict."

Enninful, who counts supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell as close friends, currently lives in New York and last year was awarded an OBE for services to fashion.

Enninful with Cara Delevingne (Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)
Richard Young/Rex

He is now expected to relocate back to London, where he still owns a flat, with long-term partner Alec Maxwell, an American film-maker, and their beloved Boston terrier named Ru.

Neighbours in Westbourne Park today expressed shock and delight for the "charming" fashion designer, who has used the neighbourhood as his base in London for over a decade.

Neighbour and friend Frances Owen said: "He is the most warm and charming person you could imagine. He is so friendly and open and is such a handsome man."

"He is not at all like what you would imagine a celebrity to be."

"I went to a party at his flat once and it was full of beautiful, well dressed people."

"I never thought I would be living in the same building as an OBE and the editor of British Vogue."

Enninful brought close friend Naomi Campbell as his companion to collect his OBE

Another neighbour said he and his "close knit" family were incredibly "humble and down to earth" despite his success, adding: "Everyone is pleased for him."

Close friend of over 20 years, make-up artist Pat McGrath, said she was "thrilled beyond words" for her friend.

She said: "From the day I met Edward we have been inseparable. Whether on set or on the dance floor, we have shared our personal and professional journeys, howling with laughter all the way."

"When the position at Vogue became open, Edward was the name that came to my mind. His creative mastery is legendary - from the most divine i-D covers of all time to the most major editorials at Italian Vogue with Steven Meisel or his sublime storytelling at W, there is no one more inspiring, innovative or iconic in terms of talent."

"I could not be prouder to call Edward my dear friend and brother. The UK is very fortunate to be getting Edward - and his amazing talent - back."

Mert Alas, Madonna, Enninful and Rifat Ozbek attend Enninful's OBE dinner
Dave Benett

Enninful’s sister, Akuna, runs his company Maxim Fashion Agents and also acts as his assistant and business consultant.

She declined to comment today about the appointment, as did his brother Crosby Enninful, a chartered accountant.

Some of his famous friends have praised the Londoner. Rita Ora wrote online: "Congratulations to my darling Edward Enninful you LEGEND! Let’s gooooo British Vogue this is about to be an amazing ride!! So excited and happy for you!!! #westlondonmassive #FromLadbrokeGrovetoVOGUE."

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