8 Black Men That Are Editor-In-Chief’s of Fashion Magazines
Depending on who’s telling. It wouldn’t be hard for one to make a strong argument on whether magazines are dead or not. No matter how you look at this niche of the publishing industry as long as the world still have magazines and writers one allure will always remind, holding an editor position at a magazine will always be career goals. Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, I grew up reading magazines. The asiles dedicated to the glossy’s in the grocery stores were my destination as child wild my mom or dad did the food shopping.
It’s harder to find those dedicated spaces for print publications in stores today, but between mainstream and independent publishing, you can still find magazines, and those who want those holy grail editor positions. Sitting at the helm of a magazine as the Editor-in-Chief is the most coveted spot on the masthead. Across all industries, the diversity on mastheads still need stronger representations of backgrounds and voices to curate the most informed content possible but others are leading the charge with black and brown faces holding those key roles. Since we’re all about celebrating black and brown men in the most stylish manner possible we found and listed 8 fashion magazines with a black or brown man as their EIC!
Edward Enninful - British Vogue
Edward Enninful succeeded Alexandra Shulman, as the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, becoming the first gay, black, and man to hold that position. In his role, Enninful has featured both iconic models, like Naomi Campbell, artist like Rihanna and cultural figures like Oprah to graces the glossy’s covers. Prior to joining British Vogue the fashion editor was the youngest person at 18 to hold a fashion director title at major fashion magazine, I-D. He also worked at American Vogue and W magazine as the style director. Before his fashion editor role though, Enninful was a model and though that career was temporary it did help him in his career. “ The good thing about being around from an early age is that I knew all the models, and I always used who I wanted—it didn’t matter shape, color, socioeconomic background. I’ve always been like that. The trendiest girl of the moment might be an Eastern European girl, but I was always, “Oh, I’ll have Alek Wek! Or Naomi,” he told Vogue.
Willie greene - We The Urban
Willie Greene took over the fashion scene as one of the youngest editor’s ever with We The Urban, a wildly successful fashion blog on tumblr that eventually grew into a print magazine. The magazine turned 10 this year and currently releases digital cover stories. In the latest one from Keith Powers and Ryan Destiny talk about when they knew they fell in love with each other, how they define black love and what they count as benefits for being in love at such a young age.
Johnson Gold - Pause Magazine
Johnson Gold launched Pause Magazine in college as a continuation of a style blog he had. It was during that time that a field trip inspired him to start his magazine. “During the internship they used to take us to visit Hearst, the publishing company. I used to go in there and think ‘wow, look at these magazines’ – but there wasn’t really one that I could relate to. So I thought I’d turn my blog into a magazine. I was thinking about what to call it, so I sat for hours, thinking, not realising the name was already there – it was PAUSE,” he told flannels.com. Pause Magazine is based in the UK and has featured artist like rapper A Boogie on their site.
DéVon Christopher Johnson - bleu magazine
DéVon Christopher Johnson Launched Bleu Magazine with help from friend in his Harlem apartment in 2006. The magazine, which focuses on providing content to black men has featured Ryan Leslie, Diggy Simmons and Jacquees on their print and digital covers. On keeping Bleu Magazine in print Johnson told Black Enterprise “Print is not dead. That’s a false narrative perpetuated by digital marketers looking to cash in on lucrative marketing budgets from brands. Is it the same? As the digital space gets more and more crowded by the millisecond, we are novel and unique. We are constantly approached by our readers who are grateful to touch and feel a tangible product that reflects who they are and the communities they live in. People collect printed media. They don’t collect website tabs. While we embrace technology to grow and enhance the brand, we are not giving up on print.”
Marvin Maddix - FGUK MAGAZINE
Marvin Maddix launched his men’s queer fashion magazine 2015 and Social media influencers like Parker Kit Hill, Tré Melvin and Rickey Thompson have covered the glossy.
Vaughn Eric Stewart - Cool America Magazine
Vaughn Eric Steward launched Cool America Magazine in 2016. Pose Star Ryan Jamaal Swian and the late Cameron Boyce have covered their magazine.
@vaughnericsteward Image Courtesy: Models.com
Miles Holder - Fault Magazine
Miles Holder is the Editor-in-Chief of Fault Magazine, a music, fashion and culture magazine. John Legend and Miguel has covered this magazine in the past.
John Nubian - YRB Magazine
Yellow Rat Bastard or YRB magazine launched as a print publication in the 90s. The magazine has produced over 100 covers featuring artist like Mack Wilds and Jason Durelo. John Nubian (left) currently serves as the magazine’s editor.
@jonnnubian Image Courtesy: @yrbmagazine
Nigel Isaiah -KOLOR MAGAZINE
If you’re reading this you’ve already found my magazine. Kolor Magazine launched as a men’s and women’s fashion magazine in 2018 but in 2019 rebranded as a fashion magazine for black and brown men. Prior to launching Kolor I was the editor for another menswear project, The 25 Most Stylish Black Men in Fashion.
