Okay, Vogue . Maybe you made several good points with this campaign!
For July 2020, British Vogue chose to center their issue on the frontline workers of the Covid-19 pandemic. From mail carriers to to train drivers, July’s edition is a celebration of the people fighting to protect all of us. Let’s meet them.
RELATED STORIES
There are three variants of the cover for July.
They all feature women who work on the frontlines. The first: Narguis Horsford, a London overground train driver from Bounds Green, north London.
She has had to distance herself from her family since the crisis started.
However, she said, “I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
She says she feels a sense of pride in what she does.
She doesn’t consider herself a hero, but, “I’m proud of being a train driver and the essential role we are playing during the coronavirus crisis.”
She told Vogue that this pandemic has taught her not to take anything for granted.
Rachel Millar is a midwife in east London.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Rachel works constantly. She frequently works 24-hour shifts, even during the pandemic.
Unbelievably, she had her bike stolen while on duty. It’s the key mode of transport for a London midwife trying to dodge traffic and avoid public transportation.
Her friends quickly put a fundraiser together, and she was gifted a new bike.
As for the virus: “After the 8pm clapping and free meals fade, I hope that the NHS won’t be forgotten. We will be busy rebuilding and restoring from a time of huge upheaval,” she said .
Finally, meet Anisa Omar.
She’s a supermarket assistant at the London King’s Cross branch of Waitrose, where she works in addition to getting her Business Management Degree at university.
During the pandemic, she’s been put on shopping duty for pick-up orders.
Despite the pandemic, she feels safe at work.
And it’s important to her to make other people feel safe and happy, too.
“If you show in your face you feel some type of way about the pandemic, it shows to customers. If I can put a smile on someone’s face because I’m smiling, that’s amazing for me. That’s all I need.”
Other key workers have also been showcased.
Like Karrie Scott, a delivery driver for Royal Mail. According to photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, this was her favorite picture that she took for the series. It’s easy to see why — Karrie looks badass!
Some even stopped their regular jobs to take on new ones.
BAFTA and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Hassan Akkad answered the call for badly needed cleaners at Whipps Cross Hospital in north-east London. His days are filled with cleaning the hospital to keep the NHS workers safe.
Jamie worked her butt off to get the portraits done.
She cycled all across London to photograph the frontline workers for the July issue, including this one of Eunice Ouko, an NHS worker who has 15 years of experience behind her.
