A spread from the ‘Strictly’ fashion editorial photographed by Jason Evans and styled by Simon Foxton, published in the July 1991 issue of i-D magazine (Edward Enninful models in the large image on the right-hand page)
© Jason Evans
When I think about the start of the 1990s, I remember movement. I remember rushing from Heaven nightclub straight to a shoot, exhausted and slightly hungover. London felt alive with possibility, even if none of us had much money. My days were spent working at i-D magazine, and my nights in clubs, galleries and on the streets. Fashion didn’t exist in isolation; it was part of a wider cultural conversation unfolding in real time.
The ‘Strictly’ editorial that appeared in the July 1991 issue captured that energy. I modelled in that story and helped cast it, Jason Evans photographed it and Simon Foxton styled it. Although the project portrayed Black aristocrats in suburbia, it wasn’t about playing characters – it was about capturing a familiar world through a different lens.
Independent magazines didn’t just document culture; they helped create it. They introduced new talent, connected different creative communities and gave space to voices that larger publications often overlooked. The pages of i-D reflected what was happening in clubs, music, art schools and on the street, while also shaping what came next.
The 1990s taught me that fashion is never just about clothes; it is about identity, community and the stories we choose to tell. It has the power to change how people see themselves and one another. I’m grateful to have been part of that moment. The decade showed that when young people are trusted to tell their own stories, they don’t just reflect culture; they shape it too. That feels every bit as necessary today as it did then.
Edward Enninful OBE is curator of The 90s: Art and Fashion. He was Fashion Director of i-D from 1991 to 2011, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue from 2017 to 2023 and now heads EE72, an entertainment and media company.
