Here’s why Vogue Italia’s April 2020 cover is completely blank

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Vogue Italia editor-in-chief, Emanuele Farneti announced that the magazine is releasing a blank cover for April 2020.

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He posted the cover on Instagram, saying that there was already an April 2020 cover in the works, but decided to put in on hold. He says, “to speak of anything else – while people are dying, doctors and nurses are risking their lives and the world is changing forever – is not the DNA of Vogue Italia.”

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In its long history stretching back over a hundred years, Vogue has come through wars, crises, acts of terrorism. Its noblest tradition is never to look the other way. Just under two weeks ago, we were about to print an issue that we had been planning for some time, and which also involved L’Uomo Vogue in a twin project. But to speak of anything else – while people are dying, doctors and nurses are risking their lives and the world is changing forever – is not the DNA of Vogue Italia. Accordingly, we shelved our project and started from scratch. The decision to print a completely white cover for the first time in our history is not because there was any lack of images – quite the opposite. We chose it because white signifies many things at the same time. White is first of all respect. White is rebirth, the light after darkness, the sum of all colours. White is the colour of the uniforms worn by those who put their own lives on the line to save ours. It represents space and time to think, as well as to stay silent. White is for those who are filling this empty time and space with ideas, thoughts, stories, lines of verse, music and care for others. White recalls when, after the crisis of 1929, this immaculate colour was adopted for clothes as an expression of purity in the present, and of hope in the future. Above all: white is not surrender, but a blank sheet waiting to be written, the title page of a new story that is about to begin. #imagine #FarAwaySoClose #WhiteCanvas — Full credits: Editor in chief @Efarneti Creative director @ferdinandoverderi

A post shared by Emanuele Farneti (@efarneti) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:00am PDT

This is also the first time in history that the iconic magazine is releasing a completely white cover. The editor-in-chief said that they didn’t choose white because of a lack of images, they chose white because it signifies many things at the same time.

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Farneti adds, “White is not surrender, but a blank sheet waiting to be written, the title page of a new story that is about to begin.”

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