Elibeidy Martinez + Luisana Gonzalez Make 'The Sweetest Symphony' By Yelena Yemchuk For Porter Winter Escape 2018

There is a method to how we post editorials at AOC, but I sense today that the spirit of Vogue Italia’s Editor-in-Chief Franca Sozzani is speaking to me. I awoke two years ago to news of her tragic death on Dec. 22, and not remembering it until now, my actions of the last 24 hrs. make much more sense to me. I will summarize them in a new post honoring Franca, who is surely directing our fourth AOC post in a row today featuring exclusively black models. This entire topic of promoting women of color was close to Franca Sozzani’s heart.

Now that I understand fully what is going on, let me say that this is the first day in AOC’s 11 1/2 year history that we will only feature models of color and women’s news about women of color. I began the day on Vogue Italia — when I never do — and discovered their feature on Misty Copeland.

Now this Porter Magazine Winter Escape editorial ‘The Sweetest Symphony’ greeted me in a totally random manner from another source not on my radar. Feeling that something else is going on here, only now did I check the date of Franca’s death, which I knew to be right before Christmas in 2016.

Elibeidy Martinez and Luisana Gonzalez add to AOC’s beautiful December 23, 2018 color brew, lensed by Yelena Yemchuk with styling by Camille Bidault-Waddington. As someone immersed in advancing women of color in every industry and creative endeavor my entire life, there is no doubt that without a lot of fanfare, Porter Magazine and the weekly Porter Edit have done a consistent and spectacular, nothing-to-see-here job of moving Franca’s vision forward.

Of course, Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of Vogue UK is also leading this drive, but in a more direct manner than Net-a-Porter’s, which one only notices by following the website and magazine as closely as I do. Sending love to Franca and all of us committed to making these changes permanent in the fashion industry and beyond. Now I must whip something up in her honor, but I found it last night, so the gesture will be easy. ~ Anne