LOOK: British Vogue makes front line workers the new cover stars

London - Its cover is usually graced by stars and supermodels. But Vogue has set aside the rich and famous in favour of key workers.

The fashion bible has broken with tradition to celebrate the everyday heroes risking their lives during the coronavirus pandemic. Narguis Horsford, a train driver on the London Overground, Rachel Millar, 24, a community midwife in east London, and Anisa Omar, 21, a supermarket assistant in King’s Cross, central London, were selected to represent millions of key workers in the UK as part of a 20-page portfolio for the July issue of British Vogue.

Horsford said working through the pandemic has given her a sense of pride. "My job is to provide an essential service for people who need to travel safely," she said. "That gives me such a rewarding feeling, even more so during these times."

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For the July 2020 issue of #BritishVogue, the magazine turns its spotlight on the UK's front-line heroes, and pays thanks to the extraordinary contribution they have made during the pandemic. For this month's special gatefold cover, @Jamie.Hawkesworth photographed three women – including Narguis Horsford, a London Overground train driver – alongside a host of other inspiring key workers, from NHS staff to shopkeepers, teachers and postal workers. See the portfolio in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 5 June. Click the link in bio to read more about the three key worker cover stars.

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Millar called for the nation not to forget the Thursday Clap for Our Carers once the outbreak is over, telling the publication: "After the 8pm clapping fades, I hope the NHS won’t be forgotten. To resume to “normal” would be a step in the wrong direction." Omar said she now feels important, which she described as "nice".

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“After the 8pm clapping fades, I hope the NHS won’t be forgotten.” For the July 2020 issue of #BritishVogue three front-line heroes star on the cover, photographed by @Jamie.Hawkesworth. In east London, Rachel Millar, a community midwife, has been cycling around the borough, attending to soon-to-be and new mothers, delivering babies and assuaging anxieties. Meet Rachel and a host of other inspiring workers – from labour ward co-ordinator Philippa Crisp to the director of vaccine development, Melanie Saville – in the new issue, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 5 June. Click the link in bio to read more about the three key worker cover stars.

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British Vogue editor Edward Enninful said: "If you had told me at the beginning of the year that Vogue’s July cover stars would be [these three] I might not have believed you.

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For the July 2020 issue of #BritishVogue, three front-line heroes star on the cover, photographed by @Jamie.Hawkesworth. Millions are waking every morning, saying goodbye to their families and getting on with their day to ensure that the cogs of the country continue to turn. Supermarket assistant Anisa Omar is one such key worker who can be found on the tills in Waitrose, in London’s King’s Cross. “Before the pandemic, my job was not really that big a deal, but now it’s like we’re important,” she tells Vogue. Meet Anisa and a host of other inspiring workers in the new issue, interviewed by British Vogue’s Features Editor @OEMarks, on newsstands and available for digital download Friday 5 June. Click the link in bio to read more about the three key worker cover stars.

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"But I can think of no more appropriate trio of women to represent the millions of people in the UK who, at the height of the pandemic, in the face of dangers large and small, put on their uniforms and work clothes and went to help people."

Daily Mail