Beyonce given 'unprecedented' control over US Vogue's September issue

The singer has reportedly hired the first black photographer to shoot a cover in the publications 126-year history

Sarah Jones
Tuesday 31 July 2018 10:28 EDT
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Rumours of Beyoncé’s Vogue takeover have set the internet alight and been described as ‘peak blackness’
Rumours of Beyoncé’s Vogue takeover have set the internet alight and been described as ‘peak blackness’

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US Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, has reportedly given Beyoncé ‘unprecedented control’ over the September issue of the style bible.

A move which has prompted the singer to hire the first black photographer to shoot a cover in the publications 126-year history.

During her 30-year reign at the magazine, Wintour has become notorious for exerting complete control over US Vogue, so much so that she was mythologised in the 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada.

However, for its September 2018 issue, the fashion bible has agreed to let Beyoncé take the helm.

According to reports from Huffington Post, the publication is contractually obliged to give the singer full control over the cover.

In addition, Beyoncé will also decide which images are used of her inside the magazine and has also written her own captions in long-form, two sources who are familiar with the agreement between Vogue and Beyoncé but aren’t authorised to speak to the press said.

But that’s not all. While Wintour typically hires highly experienced fashion photographers, Beyoncé is alleged to have used the opportunity to hire 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell.

A young talent who has worked with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Converse and i-D, if the rumours are true Mitchell will become the first ever black photographer to shoot a cover for the magazine. Really.

Also a filmmaker, Mitchell is known for his unique style of shooting subjects with an “honest gaze.”

In an interview with the New York Times, he explained: “I depict black people and people of colour in a really real and pure way. There is an honest gaze to my photos.”

The news comes amid speculation that this will be Wintour’s final issue at US Vogue – a claim which has been repeatedly denied by Condé Nast who told The Cut that “There’s zero truth to the story.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Beyonce has featured in the style bible. Her last September issue cover was in 2015 and was shot by Mario Testino – a photographer who, despite his acclaim, has not worked for the publication since he was accused of sexual misconduct.

As well as Beyoncé, it is also rumoured that Stormy Daniels will feature in the either the September of Vogue after being photographed by Annie Leibovitz.

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