Canadian model Winnie Harlow has scored her first-ever Vogue cover, and she did it alongside her Saudi lookalike, Shahad Salman.
Last month, the 24-year-old international model touched down in Saudi Arabia to shoot the June cover of Vogue Arabia, which is all about women's empowerment and diversity in the beauty and fashion industry.
The photos from the shoot were revealed this week, and they're beautiful on so many levels.
Harlow is known for raising awareness on a skin condition known as vitiligo, a chronic pigmentation disease that causes colorless patches to develop on a person's body. She went from being bullied and forced to be homeschooled, to taking part in runways and magazine covers across the world and amassing over six million followers on Instagram.
Among the many girls and women she has inspired is Salman, who is also affected by the condition. "Before, I didn't feel good with myself and I didn't like the way I looked. Winnie Harlow gave me the confidence to fight," Salman wrote.
Vogue Arabia decided to bring the duo together for its June 2019 issue, which is themed "women standing for women" and highlights the importance of representation and inclusivity.
Photographed by Berlin-based Dan Beleiu, Harlow and Salman posed side by side in Riyadh's Sadus heritage village, with the photos highlighting the uncanny resemblance between the two. In the feature, where Salman was referred to as "the new face of Saudi Arabia," Harlow and Salman talked about how their condition "hasn't stopped them from achieving their dreams."
Sharing the photos on her Instagram account, Harlow wrote, "When I saw the beautiful Shahad on Instagram about a year ago, I knew I wanted to do something powerful with her."
Similarly, Salman described her Vogue experience as "a dream," adding that she feels ready to "inspire other girls from the Arab world."
In a video capturing an emotional moment shared by the two models, Salman can be seen shedding tears while expressing her gratitude to Harlow.
Harlow first got her big break on the 21st season of America's Next Top Model, and has since walked the runways for top brands such as Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger. She was also the first model with vitiligo to walk in the widely-celebrated Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Harlow regularly speaks up about the shortage of diversity in the media and has received various awards in recognition of her work, including the "Breakthrough Model of the Year" award at the Daily Front Row's 2018 Fashion Media Awards.
Meanwhile, Salman is a Mecca-based up-and-coming model and blogger who has almost 60,000 followers on Instagram. In April, she was featured in a campaign for London-based online luxury fashion retail platform Farfetch. According to Vogue Arabia, she had little experience in fashion prior to its June 2019 cover story.
It is worth noting that the Saudi kingdom, which applies Islamic Sharia, enforces a strict dress code, especially when it comes to women, making it difficult for the latter to pursue a modeling career.