Article Written By: Gina Brennan
The announcement by Vogue Italia that the publication will be scrapping photoshoots for its newest edition, opting instead to revert back to paintings and sketch pieces for the entire issue, is one that is unheard of in the industry. This is something that hasn’t been done since the mainstream introduction of photography in the early 20th century. As with every other unpredicted move in recent times, it is to aid the environment. Absolutely, one hundred per cent not to aid magazine sales. Note my sarcasm, although one can hope it will spark a trend of environmentally friendly magazine production.
Kylie Jenner recently hit headlines for posting sympathy towards the animals injured and killed in the Australian wildfires, immediately before posting her real mink fur Louis Vuitton slippers. One cannot imagine a more fitting oxymoronic microcosm of parts of our society – celebrities who have more than enough money to vastly improve the fight against both climate change and world poverty, publicising their sorrow about the world’s state of affairs while doing absolutely nothing about it; proving their apathy towards the real world. Jenner eventually donated $1 million towards the fire relief efforts after some serious backlash, generous; until you realise that is exactly 0.1% of her estimated net worth. Even Selena Gomez donated five times as much! Judging by 22-month-old Stormi’s recent assumption she was to receive a “Birkin”, in her own words, as a cute surprise from her mum; we can easily infer where the other 99.9% of Jenner’s worth goes towards - and it’s definitely not charity.
Celebrities preaching to people to watch their carbon footprint and to donate to good causes while regularly overusing private jets and hoarding wealth beyond the ordinary person’s wildest dreams is an epidemic of hypocrisy. Is this problem unrelated to Vogue Italia’s eco issue? I think not. Vogue Italia has simply performed a PR stunt. It is producing exactly one issue that claims to save the world whilst confirming it is business as usual next month. The magazine has managed to wedge itself firmly on the side of the good guys while, in reality, doing very little to help in the race against the climate.
Of course, Vogue Italia has raised awareness of this issue. The money saved has been donated to the Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice, a museum damaged by flooding (an excellent cause, although, like Jenner, Vogue Italia has enough money to donate to the museum every week if it really wanted to). Other magazines may follow suit and it could start a conversation about more eco-friendly ways of producing media. As well as this, the idea has published some truly beautiful art, somewhat reviving the ad-laden fashion magazine. However, the fact remains that this is not a resolution for change. Rather, it is a publicity stunt that’s true purpose is to give magazine sales a much needed boost. One magazine issue and $1 million is not going to stop the world burning – much more action is needed by those who hold money and those who hold power. Whether this action is forthcoming is doubtful; in the meantime, we must wait.
Article Written By: Gina Brennan
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