Black readers specifically — British, American, Ghanian or otherwise — will find Enninful’s experiences of racism relatable ... It would be misguided to pick up this memoir in search of scoops about Enninful’s American Vogue counterparts. The author knows his story is his own, and he does not lean on gossip in charting his own rise ... The industry insights are intriguing, but some of the most memorable and endearing passages in this book consist of Enninful’s more personal disclosures ... He writes poignantly about his close relationship with his mother, his adoration of his siblings and his tense relationship with his father ... The memoir truly shines in its most intimate revelations of Enninful’s sobriety and depression, of what it felt like to soar professionally while struggling personally — and of how he learned to lean on those who love him most.
Enninful...relaxes and settles into his remarkable story ... Enninful, like many fashionistas, does tend to lack perspective. Being on a fashion shoot at midnight with a tired model and three looks to shoot is still not brain surgery ... By and large, though, the book rattles along, with a jolly selection of anecdotes about going clubbing in New York ... His book is better than his interviews.
... lays bare the profit and loss sheet of Enninful’s workaholism and the decision calculus of his values in a way that will surely be of interest to any stylist, designer, or artist hoping to achieve something iconic and impactful in their chosen creative field ... In a series of eight chronological chapters, Enninful tells the story of his swerves as straightforwardly as possible. His voice is that of a normal human, warm and smiling—a tremendously odd thing in the company of other greats like designers Diana Vreeland, Gurley Brown, or Anna Wintour. He is often willing to laugh at himself or his circumstances, mashing up gay campiness to cope with immigrant fish-out-of-water feelings ... may have a lot to say about Enninful’s faults and the inroads he’s made into patterns of bad behavior, but it is not a tell-all.
Make it past the preface, notable for the number of names dropped in one particularly glitzy passage, and you’ll find a text more intimate in tone and easier to relate to, emotionally at least ... We’re given fascinating, deftly sketched insights into the experiences of a dreamy, imaginative boy growing up on an army base in Accra under the stern eye of his father, a major in the Ghanaian army ... he shows he’s able to distil complex debates without forgoing nuance ... He’s a good pop cultural historian, too, leading a whistle-stop tour of the influences that shaped his adolescent creativity ... though there are plenty of tales of jet-setting, glamour and debauchery to enjoy as he ascends, the autobiography shows its worth when Enninful makes himself vulnerable. While this is broadly a triumphalist account of enormous success, it is also the record of a man who has lurched between periods of great difficulty.
The creative juggernaut peels back the onion-skin layers of his meteoric rise to international success ... Fashionistas and Vogue disciples will revel in this inside look at the fashion world and appreciate the author’s frank anecdotes about familiar members of the glitterati, but anyone who reads Enninful’s memoir will understand the importance of his professional and personal trajectory. A Visible Man is the culmination of blood, sweat, tears and limitless imagination.
Not-to-be-missed ... Expressive and forthright, Enninful’s memoir is lush with visual storytelling and generous personal refrains, such as the author’s deep work ethic and appreciation for powerful women, his battles with impostor syndrome and racism, and his embrace of change and commitment to lifting up fellow Black creatives at every opportunity.
Dazzling ... In nimble prose that moves at a brisk clip, he recounts his dizzying rise from model to stylist, to writer ... Readers will relish Enninful’s glamorous ascent as much as they will his willingness to detail the 'ceaseless struggle'...it took to build a 'bolder, more inclusive' industry. Fashion mavens and forward thinkers alike will be mesmerized.
