The world of fashion lost yesterday one of its most endearing personalities. Franca Sozzani died at the age of 66, after a long illness; she was the editor in chief of the Italian edition of Vogue for nearly 30 years. She was famous as a talent scout, both photographers and models, such as Steven Meisel or Naomi Campbell to name the most famous. But far from simply staging luxurious images on glossy paper, she turned out to be a woman of commitment with a social and even political approach to fashion.

Promoting diversity, she endeavored to bring to light many black models from Liya Kebédé to Ajak Deng via Jourdan Dunn, Aminata Niara or Kinée Diouf. Vogue "Black Issues" devoted to black beauty created controversy, and her interest in Africa was real. She was one of the first editors of a major western fashion magazine to send journalists to the African continent for editorials and to cover events related to fashion, or to participate in workshops for emerging designers in several Countries of Africa. This is further testified by the recent issue of Vogue Uomo, which she was also the editor-in-chief, entitled "Rebranding Africa", dedicated to Africa and for which she has received several international awards. The international fashion industry has just lost one of its great professionals, African fashion surely one of its best advocates ...

Imane Ayissi

Fashion designer - Paris France