EE 72 Magazine Summer 2026

For more than fifteen years, Rihanna and I have challenged each other to push creative boundaries.

SKU: EE72#04

Rihanna is the next cover of 72

Styling and Creative Direction by Edward Enninful
Photography Szilveszter Makó
Hair Yusef Williams
Makeup Ammy Drammeh
Nails Jenny Longworth

For more than fifteen years, Rihanna and I have challenged each other to push creative boundaries. As we unveil La Reine, our sixth cover together, I reflect on the first time we met, the trust that has shaped our collaboration, and why she remains one of the most influential cultural figures of our time.

I can clearly remember the first time I saw Rihanna in person.

It was 2011, and like everyone else I was fascinated by this young woman who was setting the world on fire.

I loved Umbrella, and I had been following her career from afar, but somehow our paths had never crossed.

Then one day I was sitting at the Lanvin show during Paris Fashion Week, and I looked across the runway and I saw this beautiful woman sitting opposite me. It took me a moment to realise who it was. “Oh, it’s Rihanna!” She gestured me over.

I gestured her to come to me. I think we met in the middle somewhere. We said hellos and ‘We should do something together’.

What struck me first was her presence. She possessed a confidence that was mesmerising and entirely her own. She wasn’t performing celebrity, or chasing attention.

She simply occupied space differently. That moment marked the beginning of a creative relationship that has now spanned more than fifteen years. Together we’ve created six covers across three magazines (W, Vogue and now 72).