Recently, ace photographer Dan Beleiu shot Winnie Harlow and Shahad Salman for the world’s most influential magazine. To shoot the cover of Vogue Arabia’s June Issue, Winnie flew from New York to Saudi Arabia. This time, she modeled alongside Mecca-based model Shahad Salman for yet another Vogue world exclusive, themed “women standing for women”. Styled by Katie Trotter for the cover, Winnie and Shahad, share their touching stories of success, highlighting how vitiligo hasn’t stopped them from living their dreams.
This is Shahad Salman first Vogue cover who had little experience in fashion previous to this cover story. The shoot was an opportunity for Winnie and Shahad to meet each other for the first time. Living thousands of miles apart, both models knew each other through social media. “Winnie was the person who gave me the confidence to fight. I never expected to meet her. Sharing time on the set of Vogue with her was a dream. I feel that now I, too, can inspire other girls from the Arab world,” quoted Shahad who was spotted by Vogue Arabia talent scouts through social media.
Back in America, Winnie too got emotional after looking at the end result. It is to be noted that despite achieving the supermodel tag, it is Winnie’s first Vogue cover as well. The Canadian model took to Instagram, reposting the popular cover along with a gushing and inspiring message about never giving up and having faith in one’s dreams. “When I saw the beautiful Shahad on Instagram about a year ago I knew I wanted to do something powerful with her,” she wrote in the caption.
With its latest cover, Vogue Arabia sends a positive message to today’s social media obsessed world about the importance of inclusivity and vitiligo’s representation. Turning the spotlight to body positivity, diversity, and religious freedom, Vogue Arabia’s June issue also aims to contradict the stereotypes so often attributed to women from the Arabian peninsula.