Beyonce is about to make history with the upcoming September issue, appearing on the first American Vogue cover ever to be shot by a black photographer in the publication's 126-year lifespan.
The issue will be historic for more than one reason: Beyonce has been given complete creative control over the images and spread, Huffington Postreports. She's chosen her own outfits, written each caption herself, and, of course, hired the photographer: 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell.
"I depict black people and people of color in a really real and pure way," Mitchell told The New York Times. "There is an honest gaze to my photos."
Never before has Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour loosened her grip on her magazine--until now, she's had complete creative control over everything, including (especially) the cover shoots. Rumors are currently circulating that this could be Wintour's last September issue working with the magazine.
Huffington Post also reports that Beyonce has declined to do an interview accompanying the cover spread.