Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long campaigned for the fashion industry through organizations like Fashion’s Night Out and the CFDA. And now it seems as if all that fashion do-gooding has panned out—it’s won him the cover of the eco-friendly May edition of L’Uomo Vogue, Italian Vogue’s magazine for men. For the event, the New York City mayor and C40 Climate Leadership Group president was photographed by Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini in a conservative though spiffy dark suit and striped tie.
Of the casting choice, Italian Vogue editor in chief Franca Sozzani told the Financial Times: “I did think it might be controversial in a sense. But I think that’s good. It should get readers talking.” Inside the issue, Bloomberg speaks of the importance of active climate change reform in urban environments. “Cities are at the frontline of the battle against climate change,” he told the magazine. “Half of the world’s population already lives in urban centers and that number is only going to rise. Urban centers are also responsible for about 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.”
The issue has been billed as Italy’s first certified carbon-neutral magazine. It features other celebrity environmentalists, among them Leonardo DiCaprio, François-Henri Pinault, and Livia Firth.
Bloomberg is not the first political influencer to hit L’Uomo Vogue’s cover. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fronted last May’s issue. “I wasn’t sure how people would respond to that one either,” Sozzani said. “But it sold very well. I think at this moment people want something serious in their magazine, not just celebrities.”
