The eternal optimist in me has always loved the back-to-school quality of September because it presents a kind of blank slate, full of promise. We think through the person we want to be. We might start a new job or step away from the conventional 9-to-5 altogether. Oftentimes we refresh our wardrobes or update our hair. There’s a natural reinvention that happens. And this re-emergence period heightens this sense of an ending of one thing, and the beginning of something else. What that something looks like, is wholly up for interpretation. We seem to have come out of The Great Pause with more questions than answers. We’re all reimagining things as we go along, figuring it out together.
But recent world events make it more challenging to view the future in a positive light: Rising inflation and poverty levels at home in the UK. A shocking abortion ban across the Atlantic in America. Deepening class and political divisions. Worrying climate news. How do we re-envision tomorrow when its forecast looks bleak?
To help us make sense of this moment, we turned to women who are defining a brave new era ('How To Create a Culture Shift', p160, brilliantly edited by Features Director Hannah Nathanson.) We asked thought leaders including #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, political activist Gina Martin, celebrated author and cultural critic Jia Tolentino, and the legal scholar who revolutionised feminism, Kimberlé Crenshaw — women shaping the conversation around women’s rights, social justice and environmentalism — to reveal what motivates them even when they suffer setbacks. As Jia Tolentino points out: ‘It’s an opportunity, a solace, and a thrill’ to ‘walk alongside each other in transformation.’
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Fashion has long thrived on renewal, presenting new collections every season. This autumn, they land differently as we adjust to ever-shifting dress codes. As one friend plainly put it: ‘No one knows what to wear anymore.’ So we’ve gathered the key talking points and looks of the aw22 season (and there are many to discuss! See our group fashion director Avril Mair’s new-season report, pg 66), to help give you a steer.
And as you read, you’ll see we’ve refreshed ELLE too, adding new sections and compelling voices and contributing editors to speak to this unique cultural moment we find ourselves in. When choosing the perfect cover star to front this issue, it had to be Lizzo (p106). A woman who is changing the way we consider body inclusivity and using her celebrity to speak out about social justice, gender and LGBTQ+ rights, yet is a consistent beacon of positivity when we all need it. Plus, twerking and fluting. Need I say more?
The article appears in ELLE's September 2022 issue, on sale on July 28.
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Kenya Hunt is the Editor-in-Chief of ELLE UK. Her career spans working for some of the world's most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic from her post-graduate days as an Assistant Editor at the seminal magazine, Jane, to her time as Deputy Editor of Grazia UK and ELLE UK. As the founder of R.O.O.M. Mentoring, she advocates for greater diversity within the fashion industry by providing a supportive network for some of the many talented aspiring designers, journalists and image makers of colour London has to offer. In 2021, she was recognised by The British Fashion Council for her work and given a Global Leader Of Change Award at its annual Fashion Awards. An American based in London, she lives south of the river with her husband and two sons. Her critically-acclaimed book, Girl: Essays on Black Womanhood (HarperCollins/HQ), is out now.
