Naomi Campbell

Who is Naomi Campbell?

Naomi Elaine Campbell is an English model, singer, actress, and activist. First recruited by a talent agency at the age of 15, she kicked off her career as a model and then went on to become one of the most recognizable and sough-after models in the 1990s. She was one of the six models of that time to be declared a ‘Supermodel’ by the fashion industry. Known for her exotic looks and sharp features, Campbell has appeared on the covers of top American as well as European fashion publications. She has modelled for ‘Cosmopolitan,’ ‘Elle’ and ‘Vogue,’ and was the first black woman to grace the covers of the French and British editions of ‘Vogue’ and ‘Time Magazine.’ A multi-faceted personality, Campbell is not just active in the modelling field but has also broadened her career to include acting, singing, and a variety of business ventures. She is involved in a lot of charity work as well and frequently contributes to various causes and events. Over the course of her eventful career, she has been through her share of controversies as well. She was once addicted to drugs and alcohol and entered rehab in 1999. She has also been involved in a number of assault cases and scandals.

Career

Naomi Campbell made her first public appearance in 1978, at the age of seven, when she appeared in a music video for Bob Marley's song "Is This Love". At the age of 12, she was featured in Culture Club's music video for "I'll Tumble 4 Ya".

In 1986, while still a student of Italia Conti Academy, she caught the attention of the head of the Synchro Model Agency, Beth Boldt, while window-shopping in a district mall. She was offered a deal and soon her career took off. Just before her 16th birthday, Campbell was featured on the cover of ‘British Elle.’

Over the next few years, her career progressed gradually as she walked the ramp for the designers Azzedine Alaïa, Isaac Mizrahi, and Gianni Versace and posed for photographers like Peter Lindbergh and Bruce Weber.

In the late 1980s, Campbell, along with Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, formed the trio "Trinity". The girls went on to become the most in-demand and popular models of their generation.

In December 1987, Campbell graced the cover of ‘British Vogue,’ as the publication's first black cover model since 1966. In August 1988, she became the first black cover girl of ‘French Vogue.’ The following year, she was featured on the cover of ‘American Vogue.’

She appeared in George Michael's music video for "Freedom! '90" in 1990. By then, she and her fellow models Turlington, Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Evangelista had formed an elite group of models that went on to be declared "supermodels" by the fashion industry.

She appeared as Michael Jackson's love interest in a music video for the song "In the Closet" in 1992. The same year, she posed with other top models for the 100th anniversary cover of American Vogue. In a controversial move, she also appeared in Madonna's book ‘Sex’ that year.

In the mid-1990s, Naomi Campbell tried her hands in various fields. The English beauty released her novel ‘Swan.’ The novel, ghost-written by Caroline Upche, received poor reviews. During this time, she released her album titled ‘Baby Woman’ and also played minor roles in the movies ‘Girl 6’ and ‘Miami Rhapsody’.

In the year 1999, she signed a deal contract with Wella’s Cosmopolitan Cosmetics and launched a line of her signature fragrances. Campbell also posed for ‘Playboy’ and ‘British Vogue’ around this time.

In 2007, she walked the ramp for Dior's 60th-anniversary fashion event at Versailles. The following year, she appeared with a few fellow black models on the cover of an all-black issue of the Italian Vogue. The iconic photograph was clicked by Steven Meisel.

She appeared with Iman and Liya Kebede on the cover of ‘Essence’ for its 40th-anniversary issue in 2011. In March 2013, the English model graced the cover of ‘Numéro Russia.’ Soon after this, she contributed to the reality television modelling competition show, ‘The Face.’

She appeared as a supermodel mentor in ‘The Face Australia’ that ran on Fox8 in 2014. In 2015, she served as the show-stopper at New York Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter Zac Posen show. That year, Campbell also joined the cast of Fox’s series ‘Empire’ as Camilla Marks. In addition, she appeared in two episodes of ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ the same year.

In September 2017, she was featured in Versace's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion show and also appeared in the campaign for the collection.

In February 2018, she walked on the runway for Kim Jones' final menswear fashion event for Louis Vuitton. In April the same year, Campbell, alongside rapper Skepta, appeared on the cover of ‘British GQ.’