Danish supermodel Helena Christensen takes over from climate campaigner Greta Thunberg as Vogue Scandinavia cover girl. The Scandi edition is limited edition but mainly online. And it is far more expensive than UK and USA editions at around £16 | $22 plus freight. But it’s written in English.
It is interesting – super on-trend with sustainability and equality much in focus. It’s great to see the world’s leading magazine finally broadening its horizons and embracing us older women, size 6++, and all colours and creeds.
Interviews and profiles of leading figures in the five Nordic countries
But, apart from Danish supermodel Helena Christensen and other fashionistas, we also want THINGS! Scandinavia is famous for style, design, furniture, jewellery (Pandora, Pilgrim, Georg Jensen…) food (Noma…) and much more…. Here’s a golden opportunity for Vogue Scandinavia to feature the best things money can buy. Surely, we’ll see more of that in future editions.
In the Second edition of Vogue Scandinavia Helena talks about her hobby and profession as a photographer after quitting the catwalk. Interestingly, for someone whose job it was to look flawless, she now seeks out the imperfect in her photo subjects. Or she waits for the little accident to happen from which great things emerge.
The Copenhagen model was always ahead of the curve in her personal style and fashion. She’s possibly the original boho chic, cool girl. Back then, as her fellow supermodels from the late 80s and 90s moved into luxurious penthouse apartments in Paris, Helena opted for a small starter flat. She furnished it with flea market finds.
In this issue she poses at her Danish summer house which she bought in the 1990s and where she has holidays each year with family. She never was the blingy jet setter lounging on super yachts in hotspots like St Tropez. Helena’s Scandi cred is certainly real.
Arguably the most famous Scandi fashion model ever, she is the natural covergirl for today’s on-message fashion magazine which focuses on authenticity and issues. It is her 18th Vogue cover in a modelling career that has so far lasted nearly 30 years.
The Midas Retouch – Influencers daring to be natural
Helena’s interview ties in perfectly with another feature in the thick glossy. As Norway tightens its photo editing law over what they call “kroppspress” or body pressure on social media, more influencers now dare to show how they really look without the re-touching.
Have we finally had enough of the un-reality presented on Instagram? “Instagram should be a happy place, not this place where you feel miserable when you turn it on,” says Janka Polliani, a Norwegian influencer and journalist in the Vogue Scandi piece The Midas Retouch.
Vogue Scandinavia is rather big on personal profiles. Another feature focuses on award winning film producer, actor, singer and director Shima Niavarani in the article Transformers in Disguise. Who she? The Swedish may know her as the presenter of their own finals of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Here in this issue she addresses the challenges of isolation. It’s a topic that has affected every one of us over the last two years, and the potential of the imagination. The article is a fascinating read by Tom Pattinson.
Noma restaurant named best in the world again – much to write home about
Today’s young attach enormous importance to social and cultural issues. It’s a welcome change from the 80s and 90s obsession with perfection and materialism. But we do still hope for a little more of glitzy products in fashion, accessories, design, film and books as well as food, in Vogue Scandinavia.
Noma and Geranium in Copenhagen have just been named best restaurants in the world. Film makers, actors, furniture designers, architects and visual artists are also among the world’s top performers. There is plenty of material to fill the pages of even the most bumper of issues. Can’t wait for the magazine to hit the shelf (flagship store only).
(Read also our post on Scandi Boho which features Helena Christensen’s starter apartment in Paris here)