Editor’s letter
This issue revels in the spirit, passion and power of youth and the incredible achievements it gives rise to.
In the lead-up to the world championships, we managed to wrangle four of the Matildas – no mean feat, given their focus is on being game-ready right now. The Matildas’ training has been intense and their dedication exemplary, and for our collaborative feature with Nike, ‘Fever pitch’ (see page 100), we meet incredible athlete and captain Sam Kerr and celebrate her world-class star striker prowess alongside teammates Steph Catley, Kyah Simon and Hayley Raso. It’s estimated that 1.5 million seats will be filled across Australia and New Zealand for the special event, and excitement is building. We wish the team the best of luck in the opening game against Ireland.
Another young woman with moxie is 24-year-old actor LilyRose Depp, who has appeared on our cover once before, and this time stars alongside one of Australia’s brightest talents, actor and singer Troye Sivan. Last year, Lily-Rose and I were living across the street from one another while she was filming
The Idol in LA, and I witnessed her hard work and dedication. Cut to seeing the final version of the series, and it really shows what an incredible actor she is. Lily-Rose is a remarkable person to be around in real life, too. Wise beyond her years, she is honest, self-possessed and sets the benchmark for fearlessness.
The Idol ’s exploration of sex, drugs and celebrity is confronting for some, but Lily-Rose plays her fallen pop star character Jocelyn in a way she feels is realistic – her overt sexuality is about empowerment, not objectification. There has been some dissent around The Idol, but whether you enjoyed it or not, there’s no denying it has an amazing cast, which includes co-creator Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, Blackpink’s Jennie Kim, Hari Nef and the ever-professional and affable Troye Sivan.
Troye, who plays Xander, Jocelyn’s creative director, met Lily-Rose two years ago when filming started, and the two are now the best of friends. Having them together on the cover felt like a natural fit. We caught the pair in Cannes, right after The
Idol premiered, with Troye admitting to our writer HannahRose Yee: “I party, but I work really hard …”
Sam McKnight, who styled Lily-Rose’s hair for our cover story was a familiar face for the actor, as he also did her hair on her first-ever photo shoot. Isamaya Ffrench, meanwhile, created the make-up look, which was a great thrill for everyone since she is considered one of the most beautifully disruptive make-up artists in the business right now. Find out how her own range of make-up is pushing beauty boundaries on page 147.
We all know that Lily-Rose and Troye are the cool kids, but we wanted to shoot them in an elegant, elevated Vogue way. Some captures are reminiscent of a 2008 French Vogue cover story called ‘Beautés fatales’ with Lily-Rose’s mother, Vanessa Paradis, and shot by Mert & Marcus. Lily-Rose thought the same thing.
Scheduled close to print deadline due to delays in Lily-Rose’s next film project, it was a challenge to make this story happen on time. Thanks to photographer Daniel Jackson and, as ever, the team at Vogue who never fail to deliver. Glamour and grit.