Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman has made a thinly veiled attack on her successor, Edward Enninful, who has been purging the fashion bible of ‘posh girls’ since his arrival this summer.
The 59-year-old said what ‘really makes a great magazine editor in today’s world’ is the recognising the need to ’employ and retain people who are really committed to the job’ -apparently in reference to the string of departures at the magazine.
She also added the job isn’t for someone who believes ‘the main part of their job is being photographed in a series of designer clothes with a roster of famous friends.’
While not referring to Enninful by name, her comments seemed to be a rather pointed dig at the new Vogue editor.
Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman appeared to make a thinly veiled attack on her successor, Edward Enninful, in her new column for Business of Fashion
In her column for Business of Fashion, Shulman seemed to take a swipe at the ‘new guard’ of editors, who she described as ‘less magazine journalists and more celebrities or fashion personalities with substantial social media followings.’
She also appeared to criticise Enninful’s recent appointments of high-profile celebrities at contributing editors.
Enninful has hired Naomi Campbell, Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen and Amal Clooney’s make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury as his new contributing editors.
She wrote: ‘It has been interesting and educative to see over the years which of the more dilettante or famous contributors really put some effort into their contributions and which liked the idea of an association to the magazine without the tedious business of actually doing any work.’
In an apparent dig at Enninful, she said the job isn’t for someone who believes ‘the main part of their job is being photographed in a series of designer clothes with a roster of famous friends’
Shulman also seemed to hit out at the numerous snaps that Enninful has shared on his Instagram page of his celebrity friends, including on the front row during fashion week.
Describing what the role of a magazine editor should be, Shulman wrote: ‘It’s 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.’
Since Enninful was appointed as editor of Vogue in April, there have been a number of high profile exits at the magazine.
Lucinda Chambers, who worked at the magazine for 36 years, revealed how she was fired from the magazine in an extraordinarily candid interview with online fashion journal Vestoj in July.
Shulman’s comments come after a string of high-profile departures at the magazine, including the exit of fashion director Lucinda Chambers (left) and deputy editor Emily Sheffield (right)
Vogue’s deputy editor Emily Sheffield, who went for the top job, also announced she was leaving the magazine.
In reference to recent departures, a Conde Nast spokesperson previously said: ‘It’s usual for an incoming editor to make some changes to the team.’
In August, Naomi Campbell criticised the lack of diversity within Shulman’s Vogue team.
Posting a staff photo that appeared in the June issue of Vogue, the 47-year-old model said she was ‘looking forward to inclusive and diverse staff’ at the fashion bible now that new editor Edward Enniful is in place.
Naomi Campbell, who has been appointed a contributing editor by Enninful, criticised the lack of diversity within Shulman’s Vogue team in August