NAOMI CAMPBELL: "A VOGUE COVER IS AN HONOUR THAT NEEDS TO BE EARNED"

There have been plenty of mixed reactions put out there about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West covering Vogue magazine’s April issue, and even celebrities aren’t holding back their opinions.

The backlash has been swift and brutal with people taking to every social outlet possible to spew venom. One particular person who has been on the cover of Vogue and had an interesting point to make of it all, is Naomi Campbell. In an interview with “The Morning Show” in Australia this morning, she was asked her opinion about the cover. Campbell shared her thoughts in a “politically correct” manner without bashing the magazine and her friend, Anna Wintour, but still managed to give a side-eye to the whole thing:

Kylie Gillies: “What do you think of Kim and Kanye’s US Vogue cover, given that you’ve been on the cover yourself countless times?”

Naomi Campbell: “I do not want to comment [laughs].”

Gillies: “Why?”

Campbell: “Because I’m a fashion model and I’ve been working for 28 years. And when you get a Vogue cover, it’s a build in your career. It’s a stepping stone to achieve that. I’m a fashion model, so, what more can I say?”

Gillies: “So you think Kim and Kanye haven’t earned the right to be on the cover of Vogue?”

Campbell: “Those are your words, I’m being politically correct. That’s Anna Wintour’s choice to put them on the cover of her magazine, who’s to question it?”

In my humble opinion, this is a win-win for Kim. She gets the visibility that she so desperately craves, and she’s associated with a respected prestige brand. This puts her on the same side of the playing field as Anna Wintour, which isn’t a bad place to be at all. While it is unlikely putting Kim Kardashian on the cover will put Vogue, a century old prestige brand, out of business, the backlash from consumers should not be a surprise to anyone, purely because there’s a disconnect between these two brands—they’re not synchronistic—and people can feel it. Vogue is chic, prestige, high end and sophisticated, while Kim and Kanye are mass, reality TV, and often described as ‘tacky and tasteless.’

Lest we forget that Anna Wintour is one of the most powerful people in fashion. It is unlikely one misstep (open for debate) will change that, particularly if Wintour steers the brand back to its core mission by putting a fashion forward woman that is both inspirational and aspirational on the cover soon; perhaps someone like recent Academy Award winner Lupita N’yongo.

So, there you have it. The opinion of one of the more elite fashion models of all time, and this GIF which serves as a legendary reminder as to why they call her a supermodel. Bow.