The Big Four (Vogue)
US Vogue cover from 1 February 1923
British Vogue cover from May 2000
Vogue Italia supplement cover from March 1999
Vogue Paris cover from October 1980
The Big Four, is the name given to the four most notable editions of fashion magazine Vogue. These editions (American Vogue, British Vogue, Vogue France, and Vogue Italia) are considered to be some of the most important magazines to the fashion industry.
The term is most commonly associated with fashion models being featured on the cover of all four editions. A model being featured on the cover of all four editions is considered one of the most significant achievements in the modelling industry.[1] If a non-model is featured on the cover of all four editions it is considered a significant achievement in the fashion industry due to the notability needed in the fashion industry to be on the cover of all four editions.
The Big Four are considered to be notable due to their coverage of the four fashion capitals (New York City, London, Paris, and Milan). An editor-in-chief of a big four Vogue (as of 2026, Chloe Malle, Chioma Nnadi, Claire Thomson-Jonville, and Francesca Ragazzi) is automatically considered to be an important fashion tastemaker.
Records
Most Big Four covers
The model who is featured on the most Big Four Vogue covers as of 2025 is Kate Moss, Moss has been featured on 78 covers.[2] Gisele Bündchen holds the record for the most Vogue covers (139 as of 2025), however Bündchen has only been featured on 48 big four covers.[3]
Youngest model
The youngest model to complete the big four was Karolína Kurková in 2001, Kurková was 17 years old at the time.[4] The second-youngest model is Kaia Gerber who completed the big four in 2020 at age 18.
Non-Models
In 1993, Madonna became the first non-model and musician to be featured on the big four, followed by Rihanna in 2021.[5]
List of record holders and timeline of achievement
List of "Big Four" record holders and timeline of their achievement by date of completion:
1960s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelmina Cooper | UK Vogue, 1 February 1961 | US Vogue, 15 January 1962 | Vogue Paris, September 1962 | Vogue Italia, October 1964 | First model to complete the Big Four | |
| Deborah Dixon | US Vogue, 15 November 1960 | UK Vogue, December 1961 | Vogue Paris, May 1965 | Vogue Italia, June 1965 | ||
| Jean Shrimpton | UK Vogue, June 1962 | US Vogue, 1 April 1963 | Vogue Paris, April 1963 | Vogue Italia, January 1967 | ||
| Twiggy | US Vogue, April 1967 | Vogue Italia, May 1967 | Vogue Paris, May 1967 | UK Vogue, October 1967 | ||
| Veruschka | US Vogue, October 1964 | Vogue Italia, July/August 1965 | UK Vogue, February 1966 | Vogue Paris, August 1968 | ||
| Marisa Berenson | US Vogue, September 1965 | Vogue Paris, April 1966 | Vogue Italia, June 1967 | UK Vogue, September 1968 |
1970s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donna Mitchell | Vogue Paris, October 1966 | UK Vogue, October 1966 | US Vogue, August 1971 | Vogue Italia, May 1972 | ||
| Margaux Hemingway | US Vogue, March 1975 | UK Vogue, September 1975 | Vogue Paris, October 1976 | Vogue Italia, November 1976 |
1980s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Alt | UK Vogue, March 1980 | Vogue Italia, November 1980 | US Vogue, March 1981 | Vogue Paris, May 1981 | ||
| Gia Carangi | UK Vogue, April 1979 | Vogue Paris, April 1979 | US Vogue, August 1980 | Vogue Italia, February 1981 | ||
| Eva Voorhees | UK Vogue, August 1979 | US Vogue, April 1980 | Vogue Paris, March 1981 | Vogue Italia, October 1981 | ||
| Kim Alexis | UK Vogue, December 1978 | US Vogue, August 1979 | Vogue Paris, November 1980 | Vogue Italia, January 1982 | ||
| Renée Simonsen | Vogue Italia, November 1982 | UK Vogue, February 1983 | Vogue Paris, February 1983 | US Vogue, April 1983 | ||
| Rosemary McGrotha | Vogue Italia, April 1981 | US Vogue, January 1982 | Vogue Paris, September 1982 | UK Vogue, August 1983 | ||
| Jacki Adams | Vogue Paris, February 1982 | Vogue Italia, April 1982 | UK Vogue, May 1982 | US Vogue, January 1984 | ||
| Isabella Rossellini | US Vogue, March 1982 | Vogue Paris, April 1982 | Vogue Italia, February 1984 | UK Vogue, July 1984 | ||
| Estelle Lefébure | Vogue Paris, April 1986 | US Vogue, July 1986 | Vogue Italia, July/August 1986 | UK Vogue, May 1987 | ||
| Linda Evangelista | Vogue Paris, September 1987 | US Vogue, December 1988 | UK Vogue, January 1989 | Vogue Italia, February 1989 | ||
| Cindy Crawford | US Vogue, August 1986 | UK Vogue, January 1987 | Vogue Paris, February 1987 | Vogue Italia, 15 February 1989 | ||
| Tatjana Patitz | UK Vogue, October 1985 | Vogue Italia, April 1986 | US Vogue, May 1987 | Vogue Paris, June/July 1989 | ||
| Naomi Campbell | UK Vogue, December 1987 | Vogue Italia, June 1988 | Vogue Paris, August 1988 | US Vogue, September 1989 | First black model to complete the Big Four |
1990s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christy Turlington | Vogue Italia, March 1986 | UK Vogue, July 1986 | Vogue Paris, November 1986 | US Vogue, April 1990 | ||
| Claudia Schiffer | UK Vogue, October 1989 | Vogue Italia, March 1990 | US Vogue, August 1990 | Vogue Paris, May 1992 | ||
| Madonna | UK Vogue, February 1989 | US Vogue, May 1989 | Vogue Italia, February 1991 | Vogue Paris, October 1993 | First celebrity to complete the Big Four | |
| Nadja Auermann | UK Vogue, January 1992 | Vogue Paris, June/July 1992 | Vogue Italia, July 1992 | US Vogue, November 1993 | ||
| Meghan Douglas | Vogue Italia, November 1991 | US Vogue, January 1993 | UK Vogue, October 1993 | Vogue Paris, February 1995 | ||
| Stephanie Seymour | Vogue Italia, June 1987 | US Vogue, March 1988 | UK Vogue, December 1988 | Vogue Paris, May 1995 | ||
| Kate Moss | UK Vogue, March 1993 | Vogue Paris, March 1994 | Vogue Italia, October 1994 | US Vogue, July 1995 | ||
| Shalom Harlow | US Vogue, January 1993 | Vogue Italia, May 1993 | UK Vogue, April 1995 | Vogue Paris, March 1996 | ||
| Amber Valletta | US Vogue, February 1993 | Vogue Italia, May 1993 | UK Vogue, December 1994 | Vogue Paris, September 1996 | ||
| Carolyn Murphy | Vogue Paris, February 1996 | Vogue Italia, October 1996 | US Vogue, April 1997 | UK Vogue, May 1998 | ||
| Gisele Bündchen | UK Vogue, August 1998 | Vogue Italia, June 1999 | US Vogue, July 1999 | Vogue Paris, August 1999 | ||
| Angela Lindvall | Vogue Italia, June 1997 | US Vogue, February 1998 | UK Vogue, September 1998 | Vogue Paris, November 1999 |
2000s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridget Hall | Vogue Italia, June 1993 | US Vogue, April 1994 | UK Vogue, September 1998 | Vogue Paris, November 2000 | ||
| Frankie Rayder | Vogue Italia, January 1999 | Vogue Paris, April 1999 | UK Vogue, July 1999 | US Vogue, November 2000 | ||
| Karolína Kurková | US Vogue, February 2001 | Vogue Paris, March 2001 | UK Vogue, May 2001 | Vogue Italia, July 2001 | Youngest model (age 17) and shortest time (6 months) to complete the Big Four | |
| Carmen Kass | Vogue Paris, November 1997 | US Vogue, May 1999 | UK Vogue, January 2001 | Vogue Italia, January 2002 | ||
| Karen Elson | Vogue Italia, February 1997 | Vogue Paris, December 1997/January 1998 | UK Vogue, January 2002 | US Vogue, September 2004 | ||
| Natalia Vodianova | Vogue Italia, December 2002 | Vogue Paris, March 2003 | UK Vogue, September 2003 | US Vogue, September 2004 | ||
| Daria Werbowy | Vogue Italia, July 2003 | US Vogue, September 2004 | UK Vogue, January 2005 | Vogue Paris, March 2005 | ||
| Gemma Ward | UK Vogue, April 2004 | US Vogue, September 2004 | Vogue Paris, February 2005 | Vogue Italia, April 2005 | ||
| Jessica Stam | Vogue Italia, September 2003 | UK Vogue, August 2006 | Vogue Paris, November 2006 | US Vogue, May 2007 | ||
| Sasha Pivovarova | Vogue Italia, December 2005 | Vogue Paris, September 2006 | US Vogue, May 2007 | UK Vogue, September 2007 |
2010s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lara Stone | Vogue Paris, April 2007 | Vogue Italia, December 2007 | US Vogue, May 2009 | Vogue Italia, December 2010 | ||
| Arizona Muse | Vogue Italia, January 2011 | Vogue Paris, November 2011 | UK Vogue, February 2012 | US Vogue, September 2014 | ||
| Edie Campbell | UK Vogue, April 2013 | Vogue Italia, April 2013 | US Vogue, September 2014 | Vogue Paris, February 2016 | ||
| Gigi Hadid | Vogue Italia, November 2015 | UK Vogue, January 2016 | Vogue Paris, March 2016 | US Vogue, August 2016 | ||
| Helena Christensen | UK Vogue, March 1990 | Vogue Paris, November 1992 | US Vogue, January 1993 | Vogue Italia, October 2016 | Longest time to complete the big four (26 years) | |
| Vittoria Ceretti | Vogue Italia, July 2016 | US Vogue, March 2017 | Vogue Paris, May 2017 | UK Vogue, May 2018 |
2020s
| Model | First Issue | Second Issue | Third Issue | Fourth Issue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adut Akech | Vogue Italia, April 2018 | UK Vogue, May 2018 | Vogue Paris, April 2019 | US Vogue, April 2020 | ||
| Kaia Gerber | Vogue Paris, April 2016 | Vogue Italia, July 2018 | UK Vogue, October 2019 | US Vogue, April 2020 | ||
| Rihanna | US Vogue, April 2011 | UK Vogue, November 2011 | Vogue Paris, December 2017/January 2018 | Vogue Italia, June 2021 | Second celebrity to complete the Big Four | |
| Imaan Hammam | US Vogue, September 2014 | Vogue Italia, April 2016 | UK Vogue, February 2017 | Vogue Paris, June/July 2021 | ||
| Bella Hadid | Vogue Italia, September 2016 | Vogue Paris, September 2016 | UK Vogue, March 2018 | US Vogue, September 2021 | ||
| Jill Kortleve | Vogue Paris, February 2020 | US Vogue, April 2020 | Vogue Italia, May 2021 | UK Vogue, April 2023 | ||
| Anok Yai | Vogue Italia, May 2019 | US Vogue, April 2020 | UK Vogue, February 2022 | Vogue France, October 2024 | ||
| Joan Smalls | Vogue Italia, March 2012 | US Vogue, September 2014 | UK Vogue, September 2020 | Vogue France, May 2025 |
References
- ^ "Vogue's Covers: THE BIG 4".
- ^ Voguegraphy (14 November 2015). "Kate Moss Throughout the Years in Vogue". VOGUEGRAPHY. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ "Models with the Most Vogue Covers". 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Karolina Kurkova – Model". MODELS.com.
- ^ Blakemore, Peyton (2 June 2021). "Rihanna Goes Braless & Wears Sheer Gown For 'Vogue' Italia Cover". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 2 July 2021.