With no models or celebrities on its cover, this issue of Vogue is better than ever

In a very rare move from arguably the most famous magazine in the world, Vogue’s upcoming issue does not star a model or actress but simply a picture of calm. Following on from the publication’s breathtaking series of covers by Jamie Hawkesworth of key workers, this release’s cover story is the works of “some of Britain’s greatest living image-makers,” including David Sims, Nadine Ijewere, Turner prize winning artist Lubaina Himid and everybody’s creative hero, David Hockney.

Asked to provide an image in line with the issue's theme of “Reset”, each of the 14 covers available are the first to have an image like it grace the publication’s cover. And frankly, it feels great to see a depiction of a field on the cover of a fashion magazine. The work of these artists is also shown in a 20-page story within the issue, titled “All Across the Land” which “highlights that at the core of everything is our planet,” reads Edward Enninful’s editor’s letter. “Its maintenance enjoyed renewed focus as human activity slowed down in late spring, from the indelible images of clear canals in Venice to an absence of smog of Los Angeles. As the world rushes to find its feel again, we all need to be more mindful of the toll our previous pace of living took on nature.”

Elaborating further on this editorial theme in his introductory letter to the issue, this idea of a reset also relates to current global events. “Who doesn’t want to feel happy and calm and normal? But a truth has been exposed by the tumultuous events of 2020: there is no normal to return to,” Enninful writes. “Like many of you who I’ve spoken to or corresponded with over these past months, I share a sense that, actually, “normal” is what got us to this point in the first place. If we are going to evolve, to a place of greater fairness and safety for our planet and its people, our future cannot look exactly like our past.”

The August issue of Vogue will be available to buy from 3 July.