Vogue has put ten top models on its cover this month which begs the question - are we seeing a return of the cover model? Former supermodel Rachel Hunter recently claimed that the trend to put celebrities on magazine covers instead of models was jeopardising the future of models. She once said that film and music stars like Beyonce who constantly appear on the front of big glossies, are dashing the hopes of young girls who want to become models. Well, it seems that Vogue is attempting to change all that by putting ten of the biggest up-and-coming models including Jessica Stam, Lily Donaldson and Agyness Deynon the cover of its current issue.
From L-R: Agyness Deyn, Sascha Pivovarova and Coco Rocha. [Photos: Steven Meisel]
Jonathan Van Metre, Vogue's contributing editor, believes that in addition to commerce and art, fashion is also entertainment that requires more than just a pretty face. "There is something fascinating about models because they are discovered. They are busy living their life in their small town and then all of a sudden someone plucks them out of nowhere," he said.
Models began to disappear off the radar in the late nineties to coincide with the end of the supermodel era, then celebrities seemed to dominate not just magazine covers but also pop culture in general. Now, Van Metre argues these new crop of models who bring more to the table than just looks, could signal renewed interest in the industry. "[Coco Rocha] is a Celtic dancer, Gaultier sent her down the runway doing a Celtic dance. That was the moment that makes everyone think that perhaps there is a craving for models with big personalities," said Van Metre.
Click below to see a video on who Vogue thinks is the world's next top models...