EDITOR’S LETTER
Meeting the incredible women we profile in Vogue is one of the most inspiring parts of my job. While fashion is at the heart of everything we do, at Vogue we have always profiled and celebrated female leaders and influencers from all walks of life. I lead a mostly female workforce and I wish there were more bosses in Australia who could say the same, while also knowing that a woman will probably follow them into their job one day. The fashion industry has been one in which women have led and flourished, and Vogue has always been a female-dominated workplace, which has given us a unique perspective in the media industry. While traditionally, particularly in Australia, we have sometimes been dismissed as frivolous, nothing could be further from the truth. Vogue is a celebration of excellence – the exceptional, the best of the best – and this month we profile and feature some extraordinary women who are just that.
Victoria Beckham might be expected in terms of a Vogue cover star, but we chose the designer for this month’s cover profile in recognition of her work and commitment to fields of interest other than fashion. We endorse her willingness to give back and encourage those of us who might be inspired by her to ask how we all might follow her example.
I am embarrassed to say that I wasn’t familiar with the work of Jeni Klugman until this year. The Australian, whose 2014 book Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity was launched by Hillary Clinton at one of the largest events ever held at the World Bank in New York, is someone we should all be aware of and proud of. I know you will be pleased to read about this extraordinary Australian woman (page 134), who is playing such a significant and positive role on the world stage. Biotechnology consultant Topaz Conway is equally inspiring, blazing a
trail in female entrepreneurship focused on gender equality. Writing for Vogue (on page 136), she raises some incredible facts, including the statistic that men are 60 per cent more likely to raise capital to fund their businesses than women.
Canadian model Winnie Harlow (born Chantelle BrownYoung) shines a light on the fashion industry’s beauty standards and conflicted notions – see page 220. Aged four, she was diagnosed with vitiligo, a skin condition that causes depigmentation, and since being picked by Beyoncé to appear in the artist’s Lemonade video, which catapulted her to international modelling fame, she has used her profile to further discussions around acceptance of difference and the celebration of diversity, while speaking out against bullying. Her honesty is refreshing.
Andreja Pejić has been living her life in the public eye since she started modelling after being discovered working at McDonalds aged 16. She found fame and recognition as a transgender model working with the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs, but put all that on hold so she could fully become herself and transition into a woman. Her bravery and integrity is highlighted by her belief that anyone famous or remotely publicly known has a social responsibility to speak up for equality and share their experiences and struggles. Today, she says every time she feels her life in the fashion world is a little empty, she reads some of the many messages she gets from people who are suffering and unable to afford treatment to transition as she did. Andreja recognises that her public profile and journey is compelling and helpful to others, and navigates the intense media interest in her story with grace, responsibility and generosity – see page 224.
In this issue we also talk to some of Australia’s most respected film talent, including Asher Keddie and Bruna Papandrea, about women in their industry and the positive changes that will drive greater gender equality in Hollywood and at home – see page 235.
Finally we celebrate (rather than appropriate) skater culture in “Park life” (starting on page 182). The fashion world has been enamoured with skateboarding fashion for a while now, with some of the best-known names in the sport appearing on runways, while hoodies, commonly worn by and associated with skaters, are now a key piece in the super-cool (and now super-copied) collections by Vetements. Many in the skater world have labelled fashion’s obsession with its culture as insincere and even lame, but I believe it is the irreverence for which skaters are renowned that has attracted the admiration of the fashion world and its adoption of the skater look. It’s ironic that a culture that vehemently opposes poses is the inspiration for fashion trends, but perhaps in our social-media-perfected, selfie-fuelled world, that’s just the point.
I hope this issue will make you think deeply about people whose experiences are different from your own and try to see things from their point of view. As Barack Obama writes in “This is what a feminist looks like” (page 218), it’s a wonderful time in history to be a woman and we shouldn’t downplay how far we have come, lest we do a disservice to those who fought so hard for justice. But equality should not stop at gender, looks, culture, religion, sexuality and politics – in all realms equality will only make us stronger and our future brighter.