Unveiling Our 15th Anniversary Issue Cover Starring Lily Aldridge!

I went right back to basics for this gargantuan 15th anniversary issue. I flew 52 hours to New York and stayed for 72 hours to shoot Lily Aldridge, the supermodel you see peering from the cover. I rolled up my sleeves, taped shoes and pinned clothes on her.

In the UK, I dressed eight models for a 10-page Dior cruise spread across eight hours and got locked in Blenheim Palace for over an hour at 1am. Then, I got chased by dogs in the East End of London when I styled Lily Nova in Gucci in De Beauvoir Square.

It took me six months to plan the shoot in Cuba; pasting cut-outs of Chanel’s cruise collection 2016/2017 on paper props of chairs, sofas and tables within pictures of crumbling Havana homes.

I was Editorial Assistant, Fashion Stylist, Fashion Writer, Graphic Designer, Creative Director—I basically worked my way up the masthead to create some of what you see in these pages.

I witnessed so many magical moments that took me around the world in 180 days; experiencing different cultures from witty Brits to assertive New Yorkers to friendly Cubans. There were some lows: I saw the 70-year-old security guard at the cover shoot come down with an epileptic fit—the crew rushed to his aid while Lily, our cover star, got on the phone to call 911. It shook all of us and reminded us just how fragile human lives are. And then there were the highs: Laughter when Gucci’s Alessandro Michele asked about my red “Chinese lion dance” iPhone case, which I promptly gave to him as a present.

Hand on heart, this issue is pulled together by a brilliant team who pieced together all the pictures and words, designed all the logos and collaterals, sold all the specials, dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s. Repeat that 10,000 times for the website. Repeat that 1,000,000 times for social media. Thank you, Team BAZAAR, for the magical journey we take every day to curate the best of fashion, beauty, watches, jewellery, art, lifestyle and culture. Thank you for this labour of love. This issue is for all you readers to enjoy; to dream, laugh and ponder over.

If some wear their heart on their sleeve, I wear mine on this sign-off when I say: I love you. XOXO

—Kenneth Goh, Editor-in-Chief 

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