Alt is translating this letter for me (sadly, I only speak a smattering of French) over breakfast in New York, where she has just arrived for the Fall 2017 shows. She expands on why she felt it was the right time to make a stand on the newsstand; unlike America, many magazines in Europe are primarily sold that way, not via subscription. “We are living in a world at the moment, what is happening right now, we are stepping back,” she says. “Instead of being in a constant evolution, which is what should happen, human rights . . . they’re not going in a good direction. This cover is about the importance of those rights, and that we still need to make progress on an awful lot of stuff.”

The resulting cover, and story, is classic Alt-ian French Vogue; high-octane glamor but done with a cool and playful wink—and always with a warmth and humanity to the images, even when they’re at their most fabulous. The shoot does nothing but underscore how gorgeous Sampaio is; there’s a touch of Carré Otis to her, a little Doutzen Kroes, but she’s her own woman.

Valentina Sampaio in Balenciaga Photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, French Vogue, March 2017

Alt recalls that when she and Mert and Marcus were working, they took a minute to see what the Vogue cover logo would look like on one of the images. “I could see that it was an emotional moment for Valentina; she couldn’t believe it,” she says. “She spoke to her agent in Portuguese, and then her agent translated, asking us if it was a trial, or if it was really going to happen, and I said, ‘Yes, it’s really going to happen.’” And if recent world events have taught us anything, it’s that the personal truly is political, and vice versa. By choosing to dedicate her March cover to Sampaio, Alt’s sending a powerful message that progressive values can only, will only, triumph. Meanwhile, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing more of her in French Vogue. Says Alt, “I’d love to work with Valentina again, definitely.”

Stylist: Emmanuelle Alt Make-up: Isamaya Ffrench Hair: Paul Hanlon