Who is Iman Abdulmajid?
Iman Abdulmajid, who is known professionally as by her first name, is a supermodel as well as activist, businesswoman and actress. She was born in Somalia and raised well-educated by her progressive parents. She was discovered while attending college in Kenya by an American photographer and moved to the United States where her exotic looks set her apart on the runway and in fashion magazines. She had a successful career, serving as a muse for several well-known photographers and designers and was considered a mega-success because she was able to excel at both runway and print modeling. After 14 years of modeling, she retired and began focusing on charity work, developing her very successful makeup company for ethnic skin and other endeavors. She has also branched into acting in movies, music videos and on TV, as well as producing and hosting reality TV shows. She has also written an autobiography and another book, a guide to makeup and skin care for ethnic skin types. She is an advocate for children in third world countries as well as increasing the visibility of black women in modeling and other media. She has been married three times and has two children. She is currently married to famous rocker David Bowie.
Career
She began modeling in 1975 after being coaxed to move to the United States by American photographer Peter Beard. The next year, she took her first modeling assignment with ‘Vogue’ magazine.
She was treasured by designers for her exotic looks and served as a muse for Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and many other designers.
In 1989, she retired from modeling, saying it was not fulfilling. She refocused on developing businesses and her charitable work.
She led the production of a documentary that chronicled her return to Somalia in 1992 and she has since been a vocal advocate for women's rights in her home country and in other third world countries.
In 1994, she created her own makeup line ‘Iman Cosmetics’ which produces cosmetics for ethnic skin. She has expanded sales of her line of cosmetics from department stores to prestige and charity lines.
She has had several TV and movie roles. Her most notable parts were her role in the movies 'Out of Africa' and 'No Way Out’.
She published a guide to ethnic skin care and makeup 'The Beauty of Color’, in 2005. Two years later, she helped design and produce a clothing and accessory line, called ‘Global Chic’ for ‘Home Shopping Network’.
In the late 2000s, she produced and hosted TV shows 'Project Runway Canada' and 'The Fashion Show.'
She has been involved with several charitable organizations including Save the Children and the Children's Defense Fund. She broke off her connection with DeBeers in an effort to raise awareness about the ethics of the diamond industry.
