Since I became editor of Vogue it's been a dream of mine to bring Mario Testino to Australia to guest edit a special issue. Testino is the most celebrated photographer in the world. Now thanks to the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency, that has been made possible. 
Next month, Testino will visit Sydney with additional crew and model talent to capture our city and its people like never before, and generating worldwide exposure, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major events, Stuart Ayres, said yesterday.
Testino's work is synonymous with Vogue and Vanity Fair, he also shoots campaigns and creatively consults to luxury brands including Burberry, Gucci, Chanel, EstÃ©e Lauder and Lancome, to name but a few. Beyond the worlds of fashion, the arts and celebrity, he is perhaps most famous for shooting the intimate and unforgettable portraits of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997, which he describes as "one of the greatest experiences of his life". Those portraits made him the photographer of choice for royalty and he has since photographed Prince Harry and the official portraits of Prince George with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with many other royals.
The trust placed in him by Vogue editors, his A-list celebrity subjects (it's difficult to find actors he has not photographed for covers) and royalty, is due to his artistic vocabulary that suggests sensuality rather than sexuality. Suzy Menkes, Vogue's international editor explains: "Testino's skill is first and foremost to catch the moment and to bring out the humanity of his subjects."
But beautiful photography aside, it is his humanity that attracted me to the idea of working with Testino in the first place.
He was awarded an OBE in 2013 for his contribution to the arts, fashion and charities, specifically for his work with Save the Children, amfAR, the Elton John Aids Foundation and CLIC Sargent for children with cancer. He was also awarded the Order of Merit in his native Peru and is president of the board of World Monuments Fund in Peru, where in 2012 he also opened a non-profit museum in Lima. MATE - Museo Mario Testino was established to contribute to Peru through the cultivation and promotion of culture and heritage arts, and a fashion collection was commissioned which worked with Peruvian indigenous artists and immediately sold out on Net-A-Porter.
I first contacted his office suggesting the possibility of an artistic exchange between Australian and Peruvian indigenous artists and our fashion designers.
A later chance meeting at a Louis Vuitton show in Paris during which I asked if he would consider coming to Australia and working with us, resulted in his taking my hand and telling me he would love to and it had long been a dream.Testino took the time to visit our first Australian Fashion Chamber's designers' showing as part of the Australian Designers Abroad program in Paris in   October. He is warm, welcoming and excited to be coming. And I have no doubt the resulting issue of Vogue, and its imagery will be extraordinary.