In Africa, fashion garments, beauty hacks and local news is a big part of the culture and we sure like document then and own the narrative to our stories, the black stories starring black people. Drum Magazine is the greatest example of 1960s magazine-style. Founded in 1951 in South Africa, it has documented everything, from the new haircut trend to the biggest political news. It always stood for cultural representation. Magazine covers have been rolling through the ages. As a consequence, the influence it had was tremendous. It has paved the way for the next generation of African magazines aesthetics. That is to say the quality, creativity and put on the pages are stunning. When you look at the covers you can witness a great sense of style and artful use of colours.
During these last days, we have seen these incredible covers, flooding your socials. It’s called the Vogue challenge. The concept, created by the Djiboutian beauty influencer Salma Noor, is very simple. Take your best picture and add the Vogue logo to create your cover issue. This trend was aimed to be an eye-opening operation and also to give honour to Black creators. Let’s start with a historical detour if you’re not familiar with Vogue. Vogue is one of the most influential fashion magazines. They have covered all over Asia, Middle East, America, Europe, for 127 years. This viral trend has increased in numbers and has brought attention to Anna Wintour.
In an email, the editor-in-chief apologizes by saying that she hasn’t found enough ways to elevate Black creators. In response, she takes full responsibility for those mistakes. Since 1988, she hasn’t used more than 30 Black models, editors, writers, creatives, or photographers. She did hire Tyler Mitchell, a Black photographer in 2018 because Beyoncé pushed it for her cover. Tyler Mitchell was the first Black photographer to shoot an American Vogue cover. Does it mean that this said mistake has been running for 32 years? The sad reality here is that Vogue really doesn’t care about the black community, or even if they did, there was less representation.
The reality was that big companies lacked diversity in their teams. Black people are struggling to find their voice in the fashion industry at high levels, and it has to change now. Nonetheless, we shouldn’t seek validation from them to showcase our cultural heritage when we have all the tools to create our narratives. Black-owned magazines such as Essence, Vibe, Ebony, Crwnmag, or Amina need that support from the black community.
Let’s support black businesses and own our narrative. We can best tell our truth and exhibit our rich culture.