Nothing against the Instagirls, but it’s nice to see models whose names aren’t Kendall, Cara, or Karlie getting some attention. Two of the Cut’s recent favorites — the wonderfully gawky Molly Bair and the stunning Lineisy Montero — grace the cover of Dazed & Confused’s autumn issue, whose theme is the New Agenda. The two models were shot by Roe Ethridge and cast by Noah Shelley, and the issue marks the magazine’s redesign. The magazine’s new creative director, Robbie Spencer, told the Cut, “We felt Molly and Lineisy represent the shift in aesthetics in casting over recent months, and are the perfect cover stars for the first issue of the new chapter of Dazed … There is nothing classical about them — they represent a new feeling.” Added editor-in-chief Isabella Burley, “Molly, with her self-proclaimed ‘alien-rat-demon-goblin-gremlin sort of vibe,’ is probably one of the most relatable models we’ve had in years. She sends out a powerful message to embrace your weirdness. We’re all about that.”
Bair, who says she grew up completely uninterested in modeling — she preferred “playing tennis, people-watching and going out with my homies” — reflects on her unusual look, which some have likened to an alien or a praying mantis (it hasn’t stopped her from booking Chanel couture and an Alexander Wang campaign, though). “We are the generation who are beginning to understand how to embrace our own and others’ uniqueness in looks and personalities,” she says. Montero, too, found fashion to be unfamiliar territory at first. After being scouted in the Dominican Republic, she walked Prada. “I was sad, nervous, and excited as I didn’t know what to expect and had never traveled outside of the DR before.” Since then, she’s made her way to the Italian brand’s campaign and a Teen Vogue cover, so we’d say she’s doing pretty well.
Two additional covers have yet to be released, but while Burley is keeping mum on her subjects’ identities for now, she says that the issue will include contributions from artist Alexandra Marzella and ballerina Michaela DePrince. “For us, the new agenda is also about re-addressing what print stands for today and the next phase in the evolution of Dazed. It’s about creative freedom and allowing print to tell visual stories that are collectable and continually surprise our readers,” she says. “I spent my teenage years tearing up magazines and plastering them on my wall. I love the idea of reclaiming that feeling. Dazed Digital is such a hugely successful cultural news site authority, so the stories we tell in print need to offer something different.”