New Vogue UK editor Edward Enninful has revealed his very first cover for the glossy – an image that many are saying signals a new dawn for the magazine.
The cover star is mixed-race British model and feminist activist Adwoa Aboah, whose debut suggests that Enninful intends to engage in the conversation about diversity that has sprung up in the wake of his appointment.
The cover lines too, make no mention of fashion or beauty trends but instead reveal a list of, what we assume, are subjects and contributors to the edition including author Zadie Smith, London mayor Sadiq Khan, musician Skepta and Guyanese-born actress Letitia Wright, all of whom are in the fields of politics and the arts. There are of course a number of familiar fashion names featured, including soon-to-be ex-Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey.
Unmistakably retro looking, the image of Aboah is said to be a nod to an Italian Vogue cover from 1971 which featured a Studio 54 regular known as "Disco Marilyn" who wore a colourful hair piece and glossy red lips. Enninful's cover was shot by Italian Vogue regular Steven Meisel and sees Aboah in a Marc Jacobs silk dress, Stephen Jones for Marc Jacobs turban with makeup direction by the legendary Pat McGrath.
The magazine was criticised for its lack of diversity under previous editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman, despite it being a successful publication. And while a Vogue with a strong political agenda might be welcome to some, many are now wondering if its still going to cater to the women who read it to find out what they should be wearing.
