Has Vogue's King of Woke been frozen out by NUCLEAR WINTOUR?  trends now

If anyone has what it takes to knock legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour off her gilded perch, it is Edward Enninful. 

That at least was what they used to say; what many in the fashion industry concluded when, after being appointed editor of British Vogue, Enninful outlined his vision for the world's most glamorous magazine.

Change from inside was his credo, diversity and inclusion his watchwords. Enninful, 51, made woke an art form.

During his five-year reign, the magazine featured a transgender model for the first time and Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet was the first man on the cover. Last month's cover featured five disabled stars and was also released as a Braille edition.

Wokeness, however, is not a quality commonly ascribed to 73-year-old Wintour, editor-in-chief of US Vogue and grande dame of fashion – and the woman said to have inspired Meryl Streep's fearsome editor in hit film The Devil Wears Prada.

Yet she closely eyed her supposed protege's mini-revolution and, while not approving of all his innovations, incorporated some into her magazine. Times were changing, after all.

Some said this was merely manoeuvring, a knee-jerk reaction by a consummate player of cultural politics to safeguard her legacy. 

Whatever concessions she made, surely it was only a matter of time before she was forced to make way for the young pretender?

While publicly coy about his future, Enninful has made little secret of his ambition to succeed Wintour. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that he threatened resignation unless given Wintour's job by the end of last year. That, of course, never came to pass.

So Enninful's announcement that he is moving to another role within publisher Condé Nast seemed to signal that he had thrown in the towel, 'Make no mistake, this was a power struggle,' said one insider. 

Make no mistake, this was a power struggle... and he lost 

'Edward pitched his new vision against old Vogue – and lost. Succession [the hit TV drama about a toxic media family] has got nothing on this.'

There are reports of blazing rows between the pair with one source saying that simmering rancour boiled over when Enninful planned to make the magazine gender neutral. 

'This was too much,' said the insider. Another Vogue source added: 'There would be differences of opinion. Wintour would say, 'Don't listen to Edward' and he would say 'Don't listen to Anna'.'

Known as 'Nuclear Wintour' and famous for her sleek bob and dark sunglasses, she has a reputation for being the demanding titan of the industry.

Vogue insiders called Enninful the only 'real threat' to her power. Insiders whispered that the pair 'don't talk', with a source five years ago saying: 'I don't think she ever felt he was qualified for that role.'

As far back as 2018, there had been speculation that Enninful's position at British Vogue was only temporary and that he would take over from Wintour when she retires. 

But he said in an interview: 'Everybody wants to know what I'm doing, but I would like to tell you that I don't want Anna's job. I've spoken to her about it a few weeks ago.'

Couched in dry business speak, Friday's announcement revealed that he is moving into 'the newly appointed position of editorial adviser of British Vogue and global creative and cultural adviser of Vogue'. 

It betrayed nothing of the alleged behind-the-scenes turbulence. Enninful spoke of optimising 'my increased global responsibilities' and how he 'can play a broader role in enhancing Vogue globally'. 

There was one clue as to his motives in his mention of now 'having the freedom to take on broader creative projects'.

For many months, Enninful has been frustrated at having to turn down lucrative consultancy projects because of a potential conflict of interest. Relinquishing the editor's chair means he is free of such constraints.

I learned you don't need perfect vision to create