Naomi Campbell is a supermodel that became one of the most in demand models during the late 1980s and the 1990s. She was born in South London in 1970 and is of African-Jamaican descent.
Campbell’s personal life has been in the spotlight quite often. Her relationships with boxer Mike Tyson and actor Robert De Niro were highly publicized as was her several convictions for assault.
Naomi Campbell was discovered when she was fifteen by Beth Boldt, head of the Synchro model agency. In 1986, just before her sixteenth birthday Campbell appeared on the cover of British Elle.
In December 1987, Campbell appeared on the cover of British Vogue, making her the publication’s first black cover girl since 1966. Campbell made the cover of French Vogue in 1988 making her the first black model ever to appear on the cover of French Vogue. These were momentous achievements by Campbell, especially considering the discrimination towards black models during this time. Campbell continues to be outspoken against the racial bias that still exists in the fashion industry.
Campbell also appeared in music videos, most notably George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90!” and Michael Jackson’s “In the closet” video.
In 1987, Campbell was fired by Elite Model Management with reasons cited to be that, ‘”no amount of money or prestige could further justify the abuse” to staff and clients. This was not the first time Campbell was described in this negative light. Despite these setbacks, Campbell was and continues to be highly successful.
Designers that Naomi Campbell has modeled for include: Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaia, Isaac Mizrahi, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent. These are only a few of the designers she has modeled for.
Campbell also came out with a book, Swan (which had very bad reviews), and also a cosmetics line with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics.
She is now a coach and judge on Oxygen’s modelling competition reality show, The Face, which is hosted by Nigel Barker. Campbell is set to star in the British version of this show as well.
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