9 Trailblazing Models Cover May 2018 Special Vogue || Halima Aden, Adut Akech, Radhika Nair & Others

There are no two ways about it – like so many industries in recent months, fashion has found itself at an important crossroads. At the world’s great design houses, at photographic studios, at fashion weeks and in the offices of magazines such as mine at Vogue, crucial questions have been asked about working practices, safety and respect. Stock has been taken and safeguards to the way we operate have been made. Along the way we have heard from so many brilliant voices – amazing women such as Cameron Russell and Edie Campbell, who have worked hard to open up the conversation and make it possible for women and men from up and down the industry to be heard.

These conversations are by no means over. Yet as a new mood begins to take hold – one that will only enrich and enliven creativity in fashion – I also believe that the time has come for us to look forward. In short, it is a moment for Vogue to do what it has always done best: to offer a bold vision of what the future can – and should – look like.

To that end, a few weeks ago I flew to New York to meet the photographer Craig McDean,

a dear friend and probably my longest-standing collaborator. Over the course of two days in a Manhattan loft studio we set about a very special project: bringing together nine future modelling superstars for a cover story that I hope defines everything we stand for as a magazine in 2018.

I must say, assembling a star cast of fashion’s most-talked-about new faces proved a truly exciting task. Even five years ago – and certainly 10 or 20 years ago – if you were shooting a group cover like this, the girls would not have looked like these young women do. But one of the great positives of the past few months is the fashion industry finally embracing a concept that has defined my entire working life: diversity. When I say diversity, I want to be clear that it is never just about black and white for me. It’s about diversity across the board – whether that’s race, size, socio-economic background, religion, sexuality. That’s what I want to celebrate with this cover.

Take Halima Aden and Adut Akech, born in the same refugee camp in Kenya and now standing at the top of their profession. How incredible is that? Along with Radhika Nair, Yoon Young Bae, Faretta, Fran Summers, Vittoria Ceretti, Paloma Elsesser and Selena Forrest, their CVs are bursting with big campaigns, catwalk appearances and millions of online followers. To me they represent a new global idea that anything is possible.

The shoot was incredible, watching our group take such an important first step in their careers with this special Vogue cover. What really struck me, despite their varied backgrounds, was how similar they all were. Kind, engaged, socially minded and impressively sweet to one another.

With the styling, I just wanted them to feel empowered, so chose a careful palette of khakis, blacks and creams so they’d feel ready for anything. Strong, powerful and poised for exciting futures. Three cheers for that.