DUBAI: In a first of its kind, international model Winnie Harlow flew into Saudi Arabia for a photoshoot with her Saudi doppelganger for the June cover of Vogue Arabia.
The latest magazine issue features fashion star Winnie Harlow and her look-alike Shahad Salman, both models championing vitiligo awareness. Vitiligo is a skin condition caused by lack of melanin in some areas of the skin, creating patches of lighter skin on the body and face.
They met online, almost a year ago, when Salman posted her picture with Harlow’s side-by-side on Instagram.
“She wrote in the caption that it was ‘weird’ how similar we looked. I commented saying that it was not weird, but that she was so gorgeous,” Harlow told Vogue Arabia. Harlow was the first model with vitiligo to walk in the much-celebrated Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
The models discussed their stories of success when they met during the photoshoot in Riyadh’s Sadus heritage village, and how vitiligo did not stand in the way of their dreams.
Salman, who is based in Makkah and did not have much experience in fashion before the photoshoot, was noticed on social media by Vogue Arabia staff.
The Saudi model had admitted she has not been previously comfortable with how she looked.
“Winnie was the person who gave me the confidence to fight. I never expected to meet her. Sharing time on the set of Vogue with her was a dream. I feel that now I, too, can inspire other girls from the Arab world,” Salman said.
