Asian models have always been left out as a pretty big minority in modelling. There have been some huge asian girls, but they don't get as much attention as all of the white european girls. So this is considered historical because she's the first asian model to ever appear solo in VI's entire history.
I actually knew you considered this cover historic for that... But what I mean is that I cannot understand such a stir when someone with no Caucasian features gets attention. When I saw the cover for the first time the last thing I thought was that she was Asian.
I guess getting happy for her is just having prejudices. I've noticed that a lot in here... First it was with the "Black issue", later with Halle getting the September issue... I remember I got surprised because someone said: "How brave of Anna is putting a black woman in the cover of the September issue". Who cares if her skin is slightly darker? I just can't get it. (Although Anna’s approach is way more genuine than Franca’s, of that I’m sure).
Quality is what really matters. It’s kind of normal that many footballers of the Premier League are English, that a good portion of the players in the Fußball-Bundesliga are German and that a lot of the footballers in the Spanish Liga are Spanish, because it’s where those competitions are held. But that’s it. I can't imagine a supporter of a football team being happy because a recent transfer is Asian.
Fashion (kind of) is/was something occidental, so I get it's “normal” or “understandable” the majority of people getting covers is white; that’s where the clothes were supposed to go (although I hate that need of recognizing themselves in publicity or anywhere else many people have; that’s their biggest problem… and kind of the reason Fei is in the cover, sadly).
I guess most magazines in China use Chinese girls, and I wouldn’t think they don’t embrace different “types of beauty” (hate that set-phrase, there’s only on kind of beauty). But there’s always that condescending feeling when a model with no Caucasian features gets something in Europe. I find it quite low, weird and fake.
And I’m sure the main purpose behind this choice is money. To a greater extent than July’s cover, for example; and that’s because they are getting advantage of the thoughts many people have shown in this thread… I’m sure they don’t even want to broaden people minds, nor breaking those (nonexistent for me) “barriers”, but getting advantage of having her fronting the cover…
Besides, I find it quite low from Sozzani to make such a thing (she has made that a lot in tha past…). She surely thought she would get a lot of press and revenues from this. It just doesn't feel like something organic and genuine. There is just a very vulgar and opportunist (in a bad way) idea behind the cover.
If the latest thing you would notice when you see the cover were that she’s Asian maybe she wouldn’t be on the cover. By “notice” I mean a “mental process”, giving that fact the same relevance to the colour of her hair, for example.
Love the preview, i can't wait for full editorial.
Kudos to the team as well 
