Vogue Arabia launches in the Middle East with bright colours and lashings of style

Vogue launched its latest international edition this month, targeting a niche audience in the Middle East that is fashion conscious, style-driven and wealthy. If its debut is anything to go by, the magazine promises to be bold, representative and deferential.

The 22nd international edition of Vogue featured on its cover American supermodel Gigi Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, wearing an embellished, mesh veil covering half her face, with one eye peering out from beneath the veil. The magazine’s cover words said “Reorienting perceptions.”

“I don’t want Vogue Arabia to just be another regional magazine. I definitely want it to be global, especially in this political climate. I think it’s very important,” says Hadid.

Through its range of features and photoshoots, the magazine attempts to cater to a wide and diverse audience of Arab women, whose varying takes on personal style and modesty cannot be defined by one trope or fashion statement.

While not intentionally provocative, there are images of women in backless gowns and skirts that end above the knee. There are also artful shots of women in headscarves, though not necessarily worn in the parameters of Islamic hijab.

In Hadid’s cover shot, for example, the veil reveals a hint of bronzed shoulder.