What: Vogue Italia’s July issue is a historical one: it addresses the issue of racial inequality in the fashion world by filling its editorial pages with models of color from Naomi Campbell to up-and-comers like Sessilee Lopez.
Why You Want This: Vogue Italia isn’t exactly available at the grocery checkout line and even if you happen to live in a major city with a great international book store, your chances of finding it is pretty slim. Plus the issue features our girl Toccara (of America’s Top Model fame), Chanel Iman and Grace Jones, who is perhaps one of the most underrated style influencers out there. I was very disappointed that virtually none of the adverts featured a model of any color, which is sad, cause the real money in the modeling world comes from adverts, beauty contracts, and commercials. Even after Oprah and Queen Latifah and designers like Marc Jacobs borrowing heavily from hip-hop and urban culture, corporations still have a hard time believing black women can sell products to a global community.
To Enter: Leave a comment below by Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 11:59pm. One lucky winner will win one copy of the magazine. Winners will be selected from the list of comments.
Rules:
- Contest ends July 25, 2008 at 11:59 pm. All entries received after this point will not be eligible for the prize.
- One winner will receive a copy of July’s Vogue Italia
- Winner must respond within four business days or a new winner will be chosen.
- Prize is not transferrable
- Entrants must be residents of United States.
Image from NYTimes.com
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
I was reading about this a few days ago. I’m really excited about this magazine!
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I wanna winnnnnn! =]
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I love the Budget Fashionista! And I’d LOVE to have this mag!
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I’d like to get my hands on a Vogue magazine. I think black women are beautiful and VERY influential to the fashion industry!
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I would love to win this magazine. To show my 12 yr old daughter, that all shades of black is beauiful.
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Please enter me into the contest. I would love to have this issue!
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I’d like to win a copy of this issue. Can’t wait for magazines and runways to acknowledge that women of all colors (still waiting for more Asian women to be featured) are beautiful.
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i’d love to win! it’d be great for a poster i’m creating for college =]
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I think its great that this issue comes out and I would love to have a copy! How great would it be if it were done more that one month out of the year!
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This is a really beautiful thing. I hope I win the issue!!!
britannaka
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Fabulous prize TBF!. Thanks!
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I hope the U.S. Vogue does a similar issue!!!
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What a FABULOUS issue!!
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That’s really great!
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I would love to win this! I think it is a very important issue, and sad that we NEED these issues in 2008!
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I’m really excited about this Vogue Italia issue coming out, and will no doubt buy one off of ebay or something if I can’t find one.
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oh my goodness, it would be awesome to win this! i have been calling/visiting local bookstores for weeks and no one has it, even though i live in miami (if you guys have some tips please drop me a line) it would be awesome to win this issue! as soon as i heard about it i knew it was something i had to add to my magazine collection!
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omg me and my best friend have been trying to find the mag everywhere
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I’ve called all my friends in major cities in hopes of finding this issue. Please please please, I NEED this! Thx
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I don’t think I will be able to make forward wardrobe progress without this mag! I need to have it! It would hold a perma-spot on my rattan-woven ottoman/coffee table
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Times are a changing and I’m happy to still be alive and well to possibly see our first “African-American” President…it’s nice to see the fashion industry is following…one step at a time America…one step at a time! All I ever really wanted is…peace on earth, equality for all, and of course really cute shoes.
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I gotta have it!!
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I think this is a monumental moment in fashion! I’d love to win this!
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Oo, Italian Vogue! I’ve never seen a copy in person before, it’d be so amazing to win this!
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It’s about time. Sad, we won’t see an American version, but brava Vogue Italia. I want this issue!!!
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Great prize, beautiful cover.
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I would love to win this issue of Vogue Italia because I’m a black female who dreams of becoming a world-renowned fashion designer. Black people have don’t only buy from top fashion designers but also contribute a lot to the fashion world. This is a growing problems because black people are not being represented in something that they are and whole-heartedly want to be involved in. Hopefully, this issue will shake things up and every race can thoroughly enjoy fashion as an universal and creative art.
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I want this magazine so bad. I have been to so many stores. I have been stalking this magazine since I first found out about it, but no luck. I so need this magazine.
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This would be an awesome issue to own!
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I wish to have possession of the Italia Vogue because some day I plan to have a little girl who I would love to give the issue to as a gift. Though I plan to teach her that true beauty is within, this gift would show her that beauty on the physical side takes many forms, and that once upon a time the world took notice of many beautiful women with the Italia issue.
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I would lloooooovveeeeeeee to win this! I’ve been searching all over!!
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I cannot wait to see this issue and am so glad that they did this! I hope more magazines follow suit.
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Awesome giveaway! Me please! Thanks!
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Of course, there are more than a few points to complain about with this magazine (the abundance of white models in advertisements) and the inclusion of a “free” magazine that pretty much only featured white runway models. But then again, I went to my Borders and they sold out in 2 hours. Mind you, the copies of the regular Italian Vogue sat on their shelves for more than 5 weeks without being picked up. That the black issue is almost impossible to find in Chicago, which is a huge metropolitan area, is pretty darn awesome in my opinion. I hope at the very least, more black girls will be considered – they are, it seems, in high demand.
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i hope italian vogue realizes the winner they have on their hands and print and ship enough additional copies that every woman in the world who wants a copy can buy one. not so that women can lay it aside to show their baby girls, but because money talks. vogue italia starts pulling in major lira over this issue and other magazines will take note. and hopefully by the time these baby girls are big enough to read fashion magazines they will take for granted that every issue of vogue has models of color.
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I have a lot of young Black divas under the age of 16 in my life. I would love to show them this issue.
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It took Italian Vogue to appreciate black beauty!!! Well, it’s about time. I’d love to win this issue. I remember flipping through fashion mags from the time I was a little girl searching for images of people who look like me which rarely happened. Times have changed quite considerably but black women and women of color in general are grossly under represented. The fashion and beauty industries take for granted the millions of dollars black women spend annually. I’d like to see more black ownership in these areas actually!!
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I’d love to have this issue. It took Italian Vogue to finally appreciate black beauty. Well, it’s about time. I t would be amazing to have this issue. It makes me think about why I canceled my subscription to US Vogue. I just saw images of thin wealthy Caucasians and their friends. Never anyone resembling myself. Having this issue would put me at peace with Vogue and bring me full circle.
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I REALLY want a copy of this magazine. It’s a collector’s item that showcases black beauty. Hopefully other magazines will follow suit.
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Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention I would not even have known they were doing something like this. I love the idea of this contest – and would be even more pleased if it sold out. Whoever wins will really cherish this!!
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I would love to win this as I love all things Vogue!
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I would love to get a copy! I have followed fashion as long as I can remember but I stopped buying Vogue a while ago. It was mainly because of the lack of black models used. Thanks, and I LOVE your site. StyleMaven
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The Europeans are ahead of the U.S. on this. Maybe this edition will influence other fashion mags. I’ve published two books that deal with fashion and travel, have spent months in Italy and read some Italian. I’m looking forward to seeing this issue.
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it’s about time women of color are featured in such a recognized magazine as vouge!
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I am an inter-racial 22 year old female, Italian and African-American. This is something I can relate to, and breakthrough for young women of color and ethnicity. How wonderful the world would be if it could see through the eyes of these Italian editors!
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I would love to have this issue.
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I would be so happy to win this contest! Just the idea this issue has been created for us. I used to see Vogue on the shelf and never think to look in it because I thought there was nothing in there for me, but this issue! I can only imagine the pictures and ads. I would love a copy. Please consider me!
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I am a broke college student fashionista…but very enthusiastic and confident about my future in the fashion industry nevertheless…I’m currently interning at Glam Media this summer for experience to one day cover historic stories like this one…I was anticipating the release of this issue which I feel it’s strong statement is long over due especially in the United States…Black is beautiful!
We need to break down those crazy beauty ideas that only one hair color and skin color means beauty…
I was able to look at my friends’ copies …but I would love one of my own to put with my classic collection of magazines…
I hope in the near future other magazines would get the hint..
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Okay, I have always been into fashion and was so excited when i received a txt from a friend saying ‘july Vogue will contain only black models support the cause buy picking up your copy – send to on to all your friends’ I have searched high and low for a copy and cant find a copy anywhere . Black is beautiful and the stunning photos featured on the net confirm this…the majority of the catwalk models look alike…the fashion industry needs shaking up…i’m so proud of what the editor of Vogue has done…I feel that she has raised the issue of racism and has made a difference…if i don’t win the contest i would just be happy to buy a copy Vogue Italia July 2008. Only problem is i can’t read italian, and don’t know where to pick up a copy
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I would love this issue! I’ve never seen the various Vogue issues here in my town
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