Beyoncé’s and Vogue’s much buzzed-about September issue cover is here. In an unprecedented move, the musician tapped photographer Tyler Mitchell to shoot the cover and lengthy accompanying spread. The 23-year old is the first black individual to shoot a Vogue cover in its 125-year history. In the magazine’s feature article, Beyoncé sounds off Mr. Mitchell, diversity, the need to open doors for other women of color, and more. Some excerpts can be found below.
”It goes without saying that Tyler Mitchell’s photographs of Beyoncé for the September issue of Vogue are nothing short of works of art, and Professional illustrator Alice X. Zhang posted shots of her Vogue-inspired paintings on Twitter and Instagram and Beyoncé fans were astounded.”
On selecting Tyler Mitchell to photograph the cover: Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like. That is why I wanted to work with this brilliant 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell.
On her Vogue cover: When I first started, 21 years ago, I was told that it was hard for me to get onto covers of magazines because black people did not sell. Clearly that has been proven a myth. Not only is an African American on the cover of the most important month for Vogue, this is the first ever Vogue cover shot by an African American photographer.
On the need for diversity: If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own. They will hire the same models, curate the same art, cast the same actors over and over again, and we will all lose. The beauty of social media is it’s completely democratic. Everyone has a say. Everyone’s voice counts, and everyone has a chance to paint the world from their own perspective.
On “seeing herself”: My mother taught me the importance not just of being seen but of seeing myself. As the mother of two girls, it’s important to me that they see themselves too—in books, films, and on runways. It’s important to me that they see themselves as CEOs, as bosses, and that they know they can write the script for their own lives—that they can speak their minds and they have no ceiling. They don’t have to be a certain type or fit into a specific category. They don’t have to be politically correct, as long as they’re authentic, respectful, compassionate, and empathetic.
On freedom: I don’t like too much structure. I like to be free. I’m not alive unless I am creating something. I’m not happy if I’m not creating, if I’m not dreaming, if I’m not creating a dream and making it into something real. I’m not happy if I’m not improving, evolving, moving forward, inspiring, teaching, and learning.
Content Courtesy Of The Fashion Law & Nairobi Fashion Hub
