Naomi Campbell has urged Condé Nast to launch an African edition of Vogue.
The supermodel made the comments when she was in Laos, Nigeria to walk in two shows that were part of Arise Fashion Week, an event that calls itself Africa’s premier fashion showcase and displays 45 designers from 14 countries.
Campbell, who is British Vogue’s contributing editor, explained that she believes the launch of an African edition of the style bible would be an appropriate way to recognise the continent’s contribution to the global fashion industry.
“There should be a Vogue Africa,” she told Reuters. We just had Vogue Arabia — it is the next progression. It has to be,” she said.
Campbell was referring to the new edition of the magazine which launched in the Middle East last year.
“Africa has never had the opportunity to be out there and their fabrics and their materials and their designs be accepted on the global platform… it shouldn’t be that way,” she went on.
“People have come to realise it is not about the colour of your skin to define if you can do the job or not.”
However Campbell’s comments have received a mixed reaction, with some people claiming that it would be better to champion existing African fashion titles rather than launch a new Vogue.
we don’t need a vogue africa, we need one of our own publications to be as esteeemed as a vogue africa
A spokesperson for Condé Nast International told The Independent:
“We’re extremely excited by the possibilities of launching titles globally and beyond what people may perceive as the traditional Condé Nast home territories. Each new launch is vigorously examined, and we take a number of things into consideration before launching a new title, including how much is spent on fashion in that locale, the availability of the right talent and how we enter that market.
“Talent is so important not only to create our magazines but also to ensure that the market has a good landscape to write about and work with eg a strong fashion community in the case of Vogue. We are thinking about how – be it with print or in some new markets as a pure digital play with a strong focus on mobile. We also weigh the long term viability before making a decision, that we can stay for the duration.
“We have considered Africa as a possible market for Vogue. It is something that we are looking at, but we don’t want to rush or make any quick decisions.”
independent.co.uk
