Vogue Italia's Black Issue spurred by Obama

By Jo Winterbottom

MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani says the spur for July's first-ever "Black Issue" of the fashion magazine came in part from Barack Obama's progress en route to becoming Democratic presidential candidate.

And partly because she wasn't impressed with the current crop of look alike models with no personality.

"America ... is ready for a black president, so why are we not ready for a black model?," Sozzani said in an interview with Reuters.

"I was in America on 'Super Tuesday.' Of course it influenced me in a way ... it was part of my general idea," she said.

That general idea became an issue featuring over 20 black models ranging from Naomi Campbell to relative newcomers such as Britain's Jourdan Dunn who takes pride of place on the cover.

Sozzani, who has been at Vogue Italia for 20 years, said she was also attracted by the strong personalities of the black models.

"At the moment, I really don't like any girls on the runway. They are all beautiful, amazing, long legs, beautiful eyes, but they all look alike," she said.

"No girl really impressed me. The only one was Liya Kebede, she's so elegant, she's so chic," Sozzani added, referring to the Ethiopian-born model who is also a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization.