Edward Enninful, W magazine’s Fashion and Style Director is one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion front row (and backstage, where he’s likely mugging with pal Giovanna Battaglia or taking selfies with models). But there was a time when he was just a young turk, hungry to soak up the drama and narrative of the runways. In honor of Paris Fashion Week and #ThrowbackTuesday, we asked him for a a memory from his formative years in the sartorial trenches.

“I first started going to the shows for i-D Magazine in the early 90s. There were only a few of us from the magazine. We would share the smallest possible hotel room, and would sneak into the shows.” — Edward Enninful