As reported by UK news source The Guardian, in the past four weeks, the issue has caused such a phenomenal demand<--more--> at news-stands in Britain and the United States that Condé Nast, the publisher, has rushed to reprint and distribute 40,000 more copies.
Conceived by editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, and shot by Steven Meisel from a roster of 18 new, established and former stars, the July 'black issue' sold out in Britain on arrival. Borders bookstores in the country have reported that demand was up 654% from the previous issue.
"It has been unprecedented, a sensation, although that wasn't the aim," said Jonathan Newhouse, chairman of Condé Nast International. Here in the States, the issue is shrink-wrapped and stickered with the words "First Reprint. The Most Wanted Issue Ever."
"I've been watching the news-stands since the beginning. There are lines of women when they hear of a new shipment," says Kenya Hunt, the young black style editor of Metro International News in New York. "The news-stand guys are hustling, locking it up in the back and charging $25, $28, when the real price is $16. Yesterday, I saw it on eBay for $50. There is a climate shift. This is the year of the presidential election. And this at a time when magazine sales are really hurting."
The issue isn't new for Hunt, who wrote a piece about the absence of black models a year ao which was generally met with silence from the industry. Now, she says, everyone is eager to quote the article.
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