Vogue Italia is celebrating fashion's biggest month by featuring a same-sex kiss on the cover of its September issue. It is the first time the Italian version of the magazine, which is widely regarded as the editorial vanguard of the fashion world, has done so.
One version of the cover features male models and real-life couple Edoardo Velicskov and Pablo Rousson sharing a kiss; another version features female models Lily Aldridge and Vittoria Ceretti locking lips; and a third features a straight kiss between models Carla Boscono and Federico Spinas.
Editor-in-Chief Emanuele Farneti, who succeeded Franca Sozzani this year, posted the covers on Instagram with the caption "kiss is kiss." Sozzani was known for bringing inclusivity to the publication unveiling a "plus-size" issue and an "all black" issue, though both drew some criticism.
In 2016, Italy legally recognized same-sex civil unions, becoming the last founding country of the European Union to do so. A provision allowing for same-sex couples to adopt, however, was rejected.
Vogue Italia is not the first Vogue magazine to publish an LGBTQ-inclusive cover. Vogue Paris featured transgender Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio on the cover of this year's March issue, the magazine’s second biggest issue of the year.
