Cameroonian photographer Mario Epanya used his artistic talent to draft several models for his Vogue Africa project–a campaign that used fictional covers to depict the magazine’s potential. Epanya argued that the magazine would be an homage to African women and promote the development of African fashion.
Although the covers were full of stunning images and punchy headlines, critics felt that Africa did not need Vogue to feel validated especially with magazines like Arise and Canoe.
Epanya recently announced that Condé Nast rejected the proposal for Vogue Africa. “DEAR ALL. The Wait is over. Condé Nast said NO to an African license of VOGUE. So this is the last cover. Enjoy, but it’s a beginning of something,” he personally posted on his Facebook page.
Vogue is currently published in 18 countries and one region. Condé Nast has not officially commented on their decision.
This would have been great if they said yes. They need to do more than throw up a website and a few editorials. I think this could have been a great way to support the careers of more black models and show support to the African supporters.
As beautiful as these covers and the sentiment are, I think Conde Nast doesn’t want to be the first major worldwide publication to put black beauty on even par with European. Young white women may begin to aspire to be more Afrocentric in appearance and the standard of beauty may change. It would also, perchance, change the world’s skewed belief that Africa is all safaris and huts and spur people to act consciously regarding Africa and its people, and its oil…
Well put and said Kamika. You hit the nail on the head. There should be no other reasons why such beautiful versatile African images would be denied.
Amen.
I just hope he continues taking these photos and publishes them elsewhere. They’re gorgeous!
This is truly a missed opportunity on Vogue’s behalf. No Africa does not need Vogue for validation just as America, France, and Italy does not need a magazine to validate them, but Vogue Africa would speak volumes across the whole diaspora as one of the first of its kind and would transcend cultural, national, and political lines. Hopefully they will reconsider, because it could be a very successful venture that Conde Nast could benefit from.
Completely agree. Condé Nast’s explanation for their rejection was a poor one. What will likely happen is another publishing company will pick up on this and Condé will be left trying to play catch up when they could have been a pioneer.
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All in good time. If the designers go there, they will follow. The designers won’t go there unless they see that money being spent in their stores in Europe on that level. As of right now, it’s the same thing that keeps most other industries away. The corruption and sale of counterfit goods that cannot be policed so when they get that together, they will come.
Sad! Especially with certain countries in Africa raising their PR profiles (e.g. South Africa hosting the world cup) this is a wasted opportunity for Vogue. I believe this magazine would be purchased by fashionable women of all ethnicities. Ethnic prints are on the racks at Urban Outfitters and are being further popularized/mainstreamed by artists like MIA. (Didn’t the issue of Vogue that featured all black models sell out in like a week or something? Isn’t that clue enough?!)
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Scrolling through these covers… i can see why Vogue was afraid. The world is not ready! These photos are glam, sexy, and provocative on a level that the western world can’t handle. Heaven forbid that the blond hair, blue eyed girl next door face her ebony hued competition in a publication other than “Black Tail”
On point with that comment!
These covers are stunning. I think Epanya has acreated something really nice. He could always create his own African Fashion publication. Why wait on Vogue and conde naste who still in 2010 only offer tokenism
I agree!
You Know what Vogue has always been racist
We sisters should boycott vogue and its product
Show that tired HAG@@!!@ Anna Wintour that she can’t control the
future of Black Beauty
Show Your Support and Boycott
Vogue Magazine!!!!
@Faith
I used to only buy Vogue when there was a Black woman on the cover. Then I just got fed-up and stopped buying it at all. So I guess I’ve been boycotting them for a while now. Vogue is just of no interest to me. Fortunately there are online fashion sites that feature Black models and designers.
no time to type…simply put: heartbroken
Isn’t Anna Wintour the editor who had a dual cover (one side Naomi Campbell and the other side a White supermodel), and admitted that the magazine would not sell as well with a Black cover model? If it was indeed Vogue/Conde Nast who did this, then I’m not surprised this happened. Disappointed, but not surprised.
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What is the excuse? The perception of poverty? There are more poor people in India than all of Africa but there is a Vogue INDIA. But on the other hand, we should not have to wait for the MSM to address this. We know that there is great demand for these images. Why wait for someone else to present it? It’s easier than ever to self-publish. This photographer could get a team together to create and market his OWN magazine.
well, having worked in the publishing industry, magazines are just a tool to sell products. advertising is KING. as someone pointed out, the publishers know advertisers don’t foresee much of a market increase from advertising in an African fashion magazine (although best believe they’re getting it done by some other means…)
bottom line: you’re not missing anything.
VOGUE Korea is basically a bunch of pages from the American/European VOGUE (re: whiter than white) with a few Korea specific pages thrown in. The publishers know good and well, that black Africans wouldn’t be satisfied with that BS treatment and white Africans are probably already buying the imported VOGUE…
These covers are truly edgy and stunning. Its a great pity that this project was rejected by Conde Nast.
As an aside, as an African I do tend to get a bit annoyed when Africa is treated as one homogenous country… If there is Vogue India, Vogue Korea, Vogue Italy and Vogue France as opposed to Vogue Asia and Vogue Europe, why is a continent with diverse countries, languages and cultures being treated like a monolithic entity. Even if there is a common base, it would be far more acceptable if there were separate editions for different regions… Otherwise a magazine like this just emphasizes an American-centric or Eurocentric but definately not African-centric view of “that great country Africa” (to quote George W Bush).
As an African-American (proud of my AFRICAN roots), I understand 100%. I think people see Africa as homogeneous is because it is so large and have so many countries in it. However, if they can put so much work into pointing out every little non-Black country to find the new fresh face for the runway, then they can trek through Africa, a CONTINENT (if one more prolific white person call it a country, I’m finding them!) with an immense gamuts of colors, shades, textures, beauty, and sizes! There can be a Vogue Nigeria, Vogue Ethiopia, Vogue Kenya, Vogue Mali…even if they have to choose a country with a relatively large population.
gamuts = gamut
excuse my typos
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I looked at all the covers and while they are indeed wonderful, there is still a doubt that an African issue can sustain itself over the months and years needed to build a subscriber base, attract advertises, and not become a political tool for the unscrupulous. I’m sure that Anna Wintour isn’t the only person to make the decision. If Africa can build a thriving list of magazines that are homegrown, and also can grow it’s fashion industry so that there are African designers, photographers, restaurants, etc…people who will regularly advertise in their magazines then maybe the dream will eventually come true. Also- whose to say what Mr. Epanya’s methods were- did he really pitch it to the right people or was he just bombarding them with emails or something and not going about it properly? Whose to say that there is NOT a Vogue Africa in the works, just not with this photographer? I feel like there is too much to this story to get angry or disappointed. I’m more interested in what happens next.
One thing is certain: Mr. Epanya has garnered an amazing amount of publicity from around the world, and that can only help Africa in the long run.
This is the reason why I majored in Journalism: Magazine Writing & Editing, so I can publiish my own magazine, for women of color, in the near future!! Great things will come out of this situation, with patience, faith & dedication- will prove Conde Nast & others wrong!
An African edition of Vogue would be the least important achievement on a continent full of so many other pressing issues. Focus people! Focus!
Yep, you are right.
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Anna Wintour got some dang nerve to say that a cover won’t sell with a (Beautiful) black chocolate, cinnamon, ebony, caramel, honey or toasted almond model! Wintour looks like an old dried up sheep! She looks like one of those sheep from the movie “Babe” and probably is intimidated by the beauty of a Black model with luminescent skin! I am sick of seeing Beyonce, Halle Berry, and Rihanna as the only black light-skinned women on the cover of Vogue! Because they know that even the most racist white person would say that the three is “hawt”, that’s the only Black women they would put on their cover.
And the only time I have seen them put a Black man on the cover was when they put Lebron James on ther next to Gisele–but Gisele was looking like a white delicate princess while Lebron looked like a big black uncivilized buck with a basketball.
I stopped buying Vogue a long time ago. I only have the old issues my Grandma had from the late 80s-early 90s when they used to put REAL models on the cover. NOT pop stars, NOT actors, NOT athletes!
Vogue sucks now anyway. They might see a change in sells if they did have an Africa Vogue. So I give a round of applause to Vogue Italia’s “All Black Issue”. At least THEY see the real beauty in Black women.
I am actually happy that Conde Nast did not approve the Vogue Africa idea.
Before commenters bite my head off, I just want to interject that I am fed up of black concepts that are managed by people that don’t speak the black language.
Of course Nast did not want to support the project. Why? Because then it would provide a big chance for Black People to be depicted differently from the run down stereotypes the media restricts them to: refugees, sex symbols, wannabes, video vixens, rappers, gang bangers, welfare users, loud mouth, single parenting, fried chicken eating, HIV having, bad credit swiping, waiting for approval, mentally enslaved idiots.
I know I just went in, but I’m sure you are nodding your heads right now.
I don’t know about you all, but I prefer to support black own businesses, or any business that truly understands the language of their target audience. A magazine like Arise-if they stay consistent, can definitely be Blacks own version of Vogue Africa. I read it quite often (whenever I can find one in Barnes & Noble), and it is pretty good. I enjoy reading about Blacks that are using their talents to change…in a real way. Not the “I’m successful because I live next to Robert Dinero,” but because they are evolving the way people see Blacks, and how Blacks see themselves. A great balance to what I see on blogs and Hip Hop Weekly. Arise Magazine, is definitely on its way to influencing the media significantly.
**I am still waiting for an African-American magazine that speaks to the Blacks living in America. Yes, we are all Africans but we playing in different stadiums. It’s easy to be black, when your nationality is the majority. African-Americans are out numbered, and most lost. Ahem:: THERE IS A NICHE MRKET FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS!!!!