BRITISH VOGUE BREAKS BARRIERS

by Jeremy Danté

what yo’ name iz? adut akech, faretta ,
fran summers, halima aden, paloma elsesser, radhika nair,
selena forrest, vittoria ceretti, yoon young bae

the announcement that edward enninful would be seated as editor-in-chief of british vogue came november of last year. and now we see the black british editor-in-chief, the first and only black EIC in the condé nast universe, never had this been done before. he put black model, adwoa aboah on the december 2017 issue- the first of many that will be included in his portfolio as EIC. that first issue, showcased a nostalgic look at fashion covers of days of old. it was an homage to 60’s glamour- a unique creative choice for a a first glimpse. now, just five short months after his debut issue, we have this. in all it’s glory, this cover represents us today, and now. it’s a beautiful cover that bursts as a first of many firsts, and captures a multi-dimension of diversity the only way a true fashion cover can. ‘new frontiers’ reads the cover as some of the most dynamic fashion faces of todays modeling stratosphere stand with strength, together in unity. of varied skin tones, ethnic backgrounds and body measurements, this is a look at the future. i could not be more excited about what fashion has come to represent in our modern day redefinition as an industry. from beauty trends, to expansion of representation, there are many changes that have been in play and bubble below the surface for the last decade. much of that decade we’ve spent here, cataloging creative choices, noticing girls and noting aspects of growth. this cover represents that and drives that forward. from virgil at vuitton to edward creating new editorial environment on the global stage, there is much to discuss and it will be done here, as it has for many years. this cover is emblematic of the changes that we’ve craved for fashion. “representation matters” is a remark i’ve seen typed as a comment on a number of things i’ve shared across social media. and those matters are now seriously being dealt to us, the real wakened audience of creativity, thought and culture. i had to take a moment to catalog this great marker of visual change on the editorial front. a breakdown of each girl, in order of appearance on the may 2018 cover of british vogue, from left to right, is as follows:

vittoria ceretti is an italian model, who’s mother agency is elite milan. through elite’s ownership stake, this sees her represented by the society in new york. she’s walked the runway for just about everyone since her catwalk debut for dolce & gabbana. she is a fixture on the editorial and runway circuit as one of the games top 50. halima aden is represented by IMG worldwide and is unmistakably visible on the fashion scene as she’s garnered several bookings whilst still showcasing her somalian heritage. she is always photographed wearing her traditional jilbab. she walks all runways and shoots campaigns and editorials with her head covered and has significantly opened the market to muslim models everywhere. a true trailblazer. adut akech burst onto the scene as a global exclusive for yves saint laurent, and has been a tribute to the brands legendary love for black models. soon after her debut on the YSL runway, she landed the campaign and has kept up her momentum as one of the most promising faces in fashion. represented by the society, adut is a runway superstar. faretta is represented by elite worldwide, and the society in new york. she hails from croatia and is another fashion face staple, who is seen for all the top shows and can also be seen in the spring campaigns for both ralph lauren and salvatore ferragamo. paloma elsesser burst onto the scene as the new gorgeous plus size model at muse management back in the spring of 2016. she quickly began booking campaigns and interesting editorial features, and eventually became one of rihanna’s fenty girls. being a brown skinned model, and a plus sized model as well, paloma is of the new school faces who are bodying the game, and not letting size restrictions limit their success. radhika nair is an indian model who’s mother agent is storm in london, in new york she is represented by ford, where she debuted in the spring of 2016. when she landed a booking as global exclusive for balenciaga under the creative direction of demna gvasalia; she booked campaigns for net-a-porter, and continued to dominate on the runway, while being seen in the current chloe campaign; she was also cast for the pharrell for adidas campaign. this is her first vogue cover. congratulations, radhika. yoon young bae is another stunner from the society, true to form; she debuted for prada and booked the campaign. as those types of starts are often unavoidable success drivers, she hails from south korea and continues to break barriers for asian female models. fran summers is a british model, who’s mother agent is storm models, and got her also placed at ford in new york. after her runway debut in the spring runway season of 2017, she broke out when she walked for prada the following season in 2018. since then she’s booked campaigns for prada, can be seen alongside radhika in the current chloe campaign and is also cast for the current marc jacobs and zara campaigns. selena forrest is an american model, and quite possibly the biggest model face on this cover. represented by NEXT models in new york, her debut season seen her booking six campaigns, with no stops every season thereafter. she’s the most in-demand model in the game and walks each season for everyone from chanel to saçai. since her debut in new york for proenza schouler. those not familiar with fashion may recognize her from the fenty ad campaign which showcased her as one of their main faces on all platforms. this cover is evidence that is dreams do come true.

read notes about this cover and why each girl
was selected by edward enninful for this cover