As a new exhibition opens in London exploring the career of Naomi Campbell, Britain's first black supermodel, a look at the women who forged a path in fashion – including the first black American Vogue cover model, Beverly Johnson. "Do you want to be a model?" asked talent scout Beth Boldt as she approached a group of schoolgirls in London's Covent Garden. Fifteen-year-old Naomi Campbell stepped aside, thinking Boldt was talking to her fair-haired friends.
But it was Campbell that Boldt locked eyes with. "I'm talking to you," she said . The shy teenager would go on to become the most famous black model in history: a supermodel of extraordinary versatility – said to have the best "walk" in the business – as well as a media personality and advocate for equal rights in an industry where black people had long been sidelined.
Celebrating Campbell's 40-year career is the exhibition NAOMI: In Fashion , opening at London's Victoria & Albert Museum on 22 June. It charts Campbell's highs and lows , and features many of her most memorable outfits, including the blue 30cm-high Vivienne Westwood heels that famously toppled her on the runway in 1993. Also on display is the silver Dolce & Gabbana couture gown she wore for her last day of community service, a five-day sentence for a misdemeanour assault powered by her infamous temper.
Asked by Grazia Magazine why she dressed up for the occasion, she replied : "Why should they expect me to go looking bedraggled or something?" It's perha.