Jourdan Dunn reveals she is 'so happy' at being revealed as the first black model to land a solo cover of Vogue in 12 years

Jourdan Dunn has been revealed as the first solo black model to grace the cover of British Vogue for more than 12 years. 

The 24-year-old Londoner shared the cover image of the fashion magazine on Instagram to her 954,000 followers after speculation on Twitter today.

She wrote: 'I'm so Happy to finally say I'M ON THE COVER OF BRITISH VOGUE!!!' 

Jourdan Dunn posted her first Vogue cover to her Instagram account

Jourdan recently starred at the Victoria's Secret show in London

She added: 'Thank you Patrick Demarchelier and Kate Phelan for making this happen and also thank you all for the Love and Support it means everything to me #2015YearOfTheDunn.'

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The model used a string of kissing face emojis to highlight her joy. 

Patrick Demarchelier is a famed fashion photographer whilst Kate Phelan is an esteemed stylist. 

The cover, which is for the February 2015 issue, shows a simple shot of Jourdan looking stunning sitting in the sunshine in a short summer dress. 

Jourdan poses alongside her gorgeous Victoria's Secret model pals in matching leather jackets 

Jourdan previously graced the front cover of Vogue in November 2008 alongside Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Eden Clark

Although this is her first solo Vogue cover, Jourdan did previously front the magazine in 2008 along with Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Eden Clark.

This also marks a change for the fashion bible as it is the first time they have featured a solo black model on the cover since Naomi Campbell appeared in 2002. 

One hundred and forty six covers have been and gone since her natural, jeans and a white vest shoot.

And the disparity hasn't gone unnoticed, with Naomi Campbell, Iman, and Bethann Hardison writing an open letter to the publication in September 2013, urging them to acknowledge in the time lapsed since the last solo cover for a black Brit.

They wrote: 'No matter the intention, the result is racism. Not accepting another based on the colour of their skin is clearly beyond aesthetic.'

Jourdan has previously revealed her struggles in the industry having been turned away from shows who told her they didn't want, 'any more black girls.' 

She said in an interview last year: 'I want to talk about what goes on. A lot of people are scared to speak up.

It has been twelve years since the last solo black model, a fresh faced Naomi Campbell, was featured on the cover of the magazine 

Jourdan has enjoyed a highly successful career so far and has been the face of Burberry beauty along with Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell

'The people who control the industry … say if you have a black face on a magazine cover it won't sell, but there's no real evidence for that. It's lazy.'

Now the star is following in her idol's footsteps by putting an end to the 12-year void for models of colour to appear on the cover.

Beyonce and Rihanna are among the 58 celebrities to feature on the covers of British Vogue in that time, while Jourdan finally succeeds Naomi among the 95 covers that showed models.

This is the latest in a string of good news for the model. At the beginning of last month she took a highly successful turn on the Victoria's Secret runway as the show hit London for the first time.

Then in mid December it was revealed that Jourdan and Naomi Campbell were the faces of Burberry's Spring / Summer 2015 campaign.

She said of the shoot: 'This campaign is even more special for me because I was shot with Naomi Campbell for the first time - someone who I admire and respect within the fashion industry.'

Jourdan posed in September 2013 with some of her model pals including Suki Waterhouse, Cara Delevingne, Georgia May Jagger and Clara Paget

Jourdan began her career at an early age after being spotted in a Hammersmith Primark in 2006 - she was signed to Storm Model Management not long after.   

Mother to a five-year-old son named Riley, Jourdan has previously worked for designers such as Calvin Klein, Balmain and Topshop.

She is also a firm favourite on the fashion party circuit counting Cara Delevigne, Suki Waterhouse and Georgia May Jagger amongst her close friends. 

Last year, Forbes announced that she was the 10th highest paid model, making an estimated $4m last year and beating world-renowned beauty Cara, who earned $3.5m. 

Rihanna has previously fronted the magazine in 2011, however, she was the only black cover star for the whole year