2023 is off to a great start and here at BLAC, we recognize other beautiful publications, especially when Black faces grace the covers. Here are some of the best January 2023 magazine covers all over the world. Here’s to our personal favorite choices being your favorite choice as well.
1Quinta Brunson Graces Cover of Cosmopolitan‘s ‘Party’ Issue
“It was pointing at myself and saying stuff like, “You are worthy. You are free. You are capable. You are beautiful.” I know it works because I do it through Janine to help get me in her mind state. She’s someone who puts on her outfits that the internet hates, looks in the mirror, and goes, “Unique!” That’s such a quiet little revolution. And I remember being able to do that for myself. That breakup was so hard on me. It just broke my self-esteem. It was hard to get out of bed, to go to work. I really needed to do that to get through it.”
Writer: Patrice Peck
Patrice Peck is a journalist and storyteller whose work centers on amplifying underreported stories, conversations, and ideas at the intersection of race, culture, and identity. She is the former senior opinion editor at Cosmopolitan Magazine and her bylines can be found at The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vogue, ELLE, Wired, and more.
Photographer: Danny Kasirye
Ugandan-British photographer and director based between New York, London and Paris.
2Lucy Alves Graces Cover of Harper’s Bazaar Brasil’s December issue
The actress and singer is grateful for doing what she likes by seizing life’s opportunities. “Being a woman in the music industry is not an easy path”, she sums up. But this effort, of leaving the family in the Northeast and going alone to Rio de Janeiro almost a decade ago, has paid off. In 2017, she was nominated for a Latin Grammy. After “Travessia”, she will continue producing music. “I love doing shows, releasing my stuff, composing, too”.
Writer: André Aloi
Photographer: Ivan Erick Menezes
3Pusha T Graces Cover of XXL Magazine‘s Winter Issue
Since Pusha T, born Terrence Thornton, began rapping alongside his older brother Malice as the Clipse in the late 1990s, musically, it’s always been about the art. The duo released their Neptunes-produced debut album, Lord Willin’, in 2002, followed by the celebrated Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and ’Til the Casket Drops (2009), before Malice took a sabbatical from rap around 2009, leaving Push to press forward by himself as an artist signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music.
Writer: Vernon Coleman II
Photographer: Ahmed Klink
Ahmed is a filmmaker and photographer based in New York City. He was born in Lebanon in the 80′s where he managed to escape a raging Civil War at age 2. Ahmed found shelter in France where he grew up and lived for 20 years before moving to the United States of America. Legend has it that he doesn’t have a French accent when he speaks English—which is probably comparable to some sort of super power.
4Iman Graces Cover British Vogue’s January Issue
It almost goes without saying that at the centre of this issue sit a number of extraordinarily strong women, who embody power in many of its guises. They certainly highlight a lot of the conversations I’ll be thinking about in the year ahead. First up: Iman. Can you believe this is the legendary model’s debut British Vogue cover? When it comes to strength, professional and personal, Iman is it, as captured by photographer Nadine Ijewere and in Funmi Fetto’s revealing profile. As the super says: “I always knew my worth.” It’s a mantra we should all harness.
Writer: Edward Enninful
Edward Enninful is the European editorial director of Vogue and editor-in-chief of British Vogue, taking the helm of the magazine on August 1, 2017. In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globally — where he has placed a “diversity of perspective” at its core.
Photographer: Nadine Ijewere
Nadine Ijewere (b1992) is a south-east London born photographer. Her work focuses primarily on the subjects of identity and diversity, informed by her own Nigerian / Jamaican background. She is drawn to non-traditional faces with the aim of showcasing a new standard of beauty and giving life to the uniqueness of disparate cultures. While at school, Nadine took up photography among her more academic subjects. But she found herself drawn to the creative side and went on to study photography at UAL’s London College of Fashion.
5Assa Myriam Baradji Graces Cover of Harper’s Bazaar Italia Magnetic 01 Digital Issue
Photographer: Melanie + Ramon
In 2014, Melanie and Ramon decided to combine their years of experience in fashion, design, luxury, and still life photography to set a singular, yet simple picture, from still life to on-figure to moving images. Four eyes for a unique image.
6John Boyega Graces Cover of Gentleman’s Journal‘s 10th Anniversary Issue
Boyega, arguably, has come further than most. His impressive résumé can be divided largely into two schools of work: fantastical franchise jobs, such his central role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and the big budget Pacific Rim: Uprising; and powerful character studies of historical icons who find themselves thrown into an environment of racial injustice. This could be Melvin Dismukes, the persecuted private security guard at the centre of Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, or Leroy Logan, the founding member of the Black Police Association and focus of the third film in Steve McQueen’s acclaimed Small Axe anthology. Before being cast in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Boyega was even attached to biographical drama Race, in which he was to star as renowned American athlete Jesse Owens.
Writer: Jonathan Wells
Edward Enninful is the European editorial director of Vogue and editor-in-chief of British Vogue, taking the helm of the magazine on August 1, 2017. In just over two years as editor-in-chief of the famed publication, he has helped shape a new vision for fashion media — not just in the UK, but globally — where he has placed a “diversity of perspective” at its core.
Photographer: Tomo Brejc
Based in London Tomo shoots for fashion magazines such as GQ UK, GQ France, GQ China, Esquire UK, Esquire US, L’Officiel Hommes Italia, Mr Porter, L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Japan, Big Black Book, Harpers Bazaar UK, Telegraph Fashion, among others.
7Lashana Lynch Graces Cover of Marie Claire UK‘s Future Shaper’s Issue
I don’t believe anything just happens,” says Lashana Lynch effusively during the first moments of our interview. It’s a cool November morning when we connect on Zoom just a few days after her beautiful cover shoot wearing Chanel Beauty(opens in new tab) for Marie Claire. She is the face of our latest Future Shapers 2022(opens in new tab) issue, which celebrates inspiring pioneers making a positive impact, and I love that we go from zero to 100 in seconds after I ask whether luck or intention is the secret behind her wide-ranging roles.
Interview: Abigail Blackburn
Abigail Blackburn is a writer, editor and marketing leader who’s worked in technology, travel and news journalism. Storytelling is her lifelong passion; both telling her own stories and helping others to share theirs. She lived in four countries so far but she belong in many places, like any daughter of the African diaspora.
Photographer: Kyle Galvin
London based fashion photographer Kyle Galvin graduated from the London College of Fashion where he was named as one of the best graduating talents by the British Journal of Photography in their ones to watch. His work is known for a fresh lighting approach to skin with a particular focus on the glamour of beauty. His work has appeared in several high end publications and some of the most influential digital platforms today including Glamour Magazine, Marie Claire, Grazia, WhoWhatWear and High Snobiety.
8Rosalia Graces Cover of Rolling Stone‘s January Issue
For almost two hours straight, she played for a sold-out crowd at the historic Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. Aside from waves of screaming fans, the spectacle Rosalía put on is more akin to performance art than a traditional stadium show, and it’s taken over cities and social media pages with equal force over the past few months. There’s no opener, no costume changes. Rosalía is at the center, her face often slicked with sweat and tears, doing everything all at once — strumming a jet-black guitar, smacking her gum, pounding an ornate piano, ripping her heart wide open. And as her Motomami World Tour has crossed the globe, this has been her life for the past year.
Interview: Cat Cardenas
Cat Cardenas a freelance writer and photographer based in Austin, covering film, TV, music, and Latinx culture. For the past six years, she worked on profiles, features, and personal essays; interviewed drag queen activists, ghost hunters, politicians, and served as Texas Monthly’s unofficial Selena correspondent.
Photographer: Josefina Bietti
9Lori Harvey Graces Cover ESSENCE‘s January/February Issue
Her name’s always in the headlines and on the tip of everybody’s tongue—most often in regard to the men she’s said to have dated. It’s easy, almost expected, to think you’ve got her figured out; that you know what the almost 26-year-old daughter of a noted fashionista and King of Comedy is all about. We can thank, or blame, the celebrity gossip and news ecosystem for that. And up to this point, Harvey’s been fairly silent about all that’s come through the grapevine.
Interview: Tre’vell Anderson
Tre’vell Anderson (they/them) is an award-winning journalist, social curator, and world changer who always comes to slay! Named to The Root’s 2020 list of the 100 most influential African Americans, they have dedicated their career to centering those in the margins, grey spaces, and at the intersections of life through a pop culture lens. Currently, Tre’vell co-hosts two podcasts, Crooked Media’s “What A Day” and Maximum Fun’s “FANTI.”
Photographer: Emmanuel Sanchez Monsalve
New York-based photographer Emmanuel Sanchez-Monsalve, raised in Miami to Colombian Immigrants. Emmanuel took his love of art, dance, and fashion and moved to New York in 2015 to further pursue his career. Emmanuel has shot several stories for major fashion publications such as i-D, Harper’s Bazaar US, Vogue Italia, Teen Vogue, and Document Journal. Additionally, he’s worked with music artists like Bad Bunny and brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Oscar de la Renta.
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10Viola Davis Graces Cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK‘s Women of the Year
At 42, Davis had finally landed her big break and could carve out the varied career she had so longed for. Making up for lost time, she portrayed a steely-eyed criminal in the heist movie Widows, Michelle Obama in the political docu-drama The First Lady and a formidable villain in DC’s Suicide Squad franchise.
Writer: Yasmin Omar
Photographer: Alexi Lubomirski
Alexi Lubomirski is a British photographer best known for taking the official photographs of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for their engagement and their wedding.
11Little Simz Graces Cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK’s Women of the Year
The independent-label musician, rapper, writer, actress and photographer is well-qualified to reflect on the joys and perils of doing your own thing. As deft and multidisciplinary as she is driven, Simz has, for the last decade, been forging a career path that is entirely her own. In the past couple of years, this one-woman cultural phenomenon has released a five-star-reviewed album, art-directed short films, joined forces with Gucci, photographed a beautiful portrait series featuring her long-time friend, the Black Panther star Letitia Wright, and taken pride of place on Barack Obama’s ‘Favourite music of 2021’ playlist.
Writer: Charlotte Brook
Photographer: Camilla Akrans
Camilla Akrans was born in Sweden and her Scandinavian roots are evident in her work. The pure, pared backed imagery is centered in femininity, graphic lines, flawless craftsmanship and understated elegance. Her photographs have been exhibited worldwide, from Sweden to Spain, the United States, Italy, Britain and China, among other countries.
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