A breath of fresh air – that was the thinking behind the 14 different landscape covers gracing the August 2020 issue of British Vogue. The response has been tremendous.
“I could never have expected this level of enthusiasm in the reaction to Vogue’s Reset covers,” said Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s EIC, quoted in a Vogue article by Ellie Pithers. “I wanted it to be a breath of fresh air after all these months of turmoil, a chance to pause and rethink our busy lives – and I’m glad that so many readers have reached out to tell me how the covers brought them comfort, and how they made them think about the cadence of their lives and that of the natural world.”
With the covers released, the magazine offered a challenge for the public to create and share their own #Reset covers. Posts poured in featuring landscape photos from around the world – Japan, Iceland, Bulgaria, California – all with a fresh interpretation of the idea of “resetting” or taking a pause.
One post showing a beautiful tropical beach in the Dominican Republic filled with plastic trash was particularly moving to Enninful, who felt it speaks volumes about the need to reset our collective thinking around the environment and how we move forward.
“I also felt it was important to include an image that serves as a warning to all of us: that of a beach, littered with plastic,” said Enninful when sharing his favorite 10 covers. “That it happens to have been taken in the Dominican Republic, which is a breathtakingly beautiful country, is intended to be inconsequential: there are scenes like this all over the world. Indeed, when lockdown was first lifted in London, where I live, we saw parks and beaches in the UK covered in litter after people enjoyed their first day out in the fresh air for the first time in months. It saddens me to see our world destroyed like this, and I hope this image serves as a reminder to everyone that we have a responsibility to look after our planet for future generations.”
The last few months have taught us all many things, including the power of the natural world to be a balm to our souls. The simple acts of being outdoors, traveling to new places, enjoying the view, are all more precious now. British Vogue has done a stunning job of capturing the idea of a much needed #Reset, on so many levels.