Chioma Nnadi

  Powerlistee
  Media, Publishing, Entertainment, Sport

Chioma Nnadi had big shoes to fill when she took over from Edward Enninful to head up British Vogue. But she has more than stepped up to the challenge, with The Washington Post this year proclaiming her one of the top 50 cultural trailblazers helping to shape society today.

The newspaper wrote: “Chioma Nnadi, 44, is a Black woman who champions independent designers and is as open and approachable as a fashion show is inaccessible and inscrutable.”

Nnadi was named British Vogue’s head of editorial content in September 2023 after working for 13 years at American Vogue. She had joined American Vogue in 2010, having previously worked at music magazine The Fader. Now relocated back to London, Nnadi launched her first edition in April 2024 with singer FKA Twigs (“the woman of the moment”) as cover star. Subsequent covers have featured the diverse likes of SZA, Bella Ramsey, Tyla, and Billie Eilish.

In her editor’s letter, she explained: “I knew my first cover star needed to be someone who defined that inimitable spirit. FKA Twigs is an artist who represents the ideal of the modern British eccentric: she is a shape-shifter who rejects conformity and takes real joy in clothes.”

She has recently spoken out about the return to ‘skinny’ on the catwalks, saying the fashion industry “should be concerned” and suggesting the rise in drugs like Ozempic could be to blame. “Hopefully the season will be a wake-up call and it won’t be that we see that kind of negative trend [and] that we see that progress,” she told the BBC.

View other Powerlistees, view the top 10, or take a look at the Powerlist Alumni.