Naomi Campbell: The Queen of Runway
Naomi Campbell, a name almost synonymous with the fashion industry, is one of the greatest supermodels of all time.
She is an institution in herself when it comes to fashion. With prestigious awards like the CFDA Fashion icon award, Glamour Award for outstanding contribution, Glamour award for TV personality and association with top brands and designers, Naomi Campbell is regarded as the most successful model in the industry.
Her journey towards becoming the queen of the runway is very interesting, it is not all sunshine and rainbows, Naomi also has her share of tough times, which have shaped her to become what she is today.
The first step towards the limelight
This 51-year-old supermodel was born in Streatham, South London in 1970. Her mother was a dancer of Jamaican descent. And Naomi used to accompany her mother across Europe with her dance troupe Fantastica at an early age. She first appeared on a Tv at the age of seven, she got featured in Bob Marley’s music video -“Is This Love”. This was her first-ever step towards stardom. At the age of 10, she joined the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she studied ballet and by 15 she got her first break as a model by London-based modelling agency Synchro and signed to Eileen Ford.
Becoming the Queen of Runway
Campbell got her big break when she was just 17 years old when she walked for designer Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week. After which she got noticed because of her extraordinary physique and head-turning personality. Soon after she landed a spot on Yves Saint Laurent’s Couture catwalk, which transformed her career, she quickly became a fixture at YSL shows and soon became the most compelling figures on the runway. In the 90s, she was a fixture at some of the top brands like AzzedineAlaïa, Anna Sui, Chanel, Fendi, and Versace. She also starred in one of the most iconic pop culture songs ‘ Freedom! 90’ by George Michael alongside Evangelista, Turlington, TatjanaPatitz and Cindy Crawford which has the theme of Gianni Versace’s Fall/Winter 1990 and became a cult hit in the 90s.
Proving herself in the Industry
For the fierce and fiery Campbell, her journey is not that glorious all the time. She too had to face criticism and rejection. Many times she has faced rejection due to her colour and race.
But it was hard to stop this fierce diva. When black models were rarely hired for magazine covers or runways, Naomi became Paris Vogue’s first-ever black cover model. Naomi told’ When I started out, I wasn’t being booked for certain shows because of thecolour of my skin. I didn’t let it rattle me. From attending auditions and performing at an early age, I understood what it meant to be black. You had to put in the extra effort. You had to be twice as good.’
Coming out of the darkness
With fame comes controversy, Campbell has always been on the radar of controversies whether it’s for her hot-headed, cut-throat attitude or her addiction to drugs. For which had to go to rehab at one point in time but she came out of it strong. Campbell’s career evolved a lot with time– from catwalk queen and cover girl to activist and TV actress, and she has been magnificent in all of these. Naomi Campbell is not just a role model to the fashion industry but also an inspiration for all those women who want to follow their dreams in spite of arduous challenges.