Wow, what hideous covers we have here. the i-D signature wink has always a bit of an awkward gesture but here it's completely unsettling with Natalia's covershot. Freja and Sasha by Summerton also disappoint. Such good models and photographers and this is what the result is? And what is with so many magazines releasing multiple covers lately? If you can't nail one decent cover shot, what's the point in creating additional covers? How gimmicky!
I think i-D releases multiple covers to make up for the fact that they don't publish monthly anymore.
Yes probably that and to appeal to various styles of readers. As we can see with this thread, everyone has a different favorite.