Naomi Campbell

Naomi Elaine Campbell is a British model and actress who became one of the fashion world's most prominent supermodels. Born on 22 May 1970 in Lambeth, South London, she is of Afro-Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican descent. Her mother, Valerie Morris, worked as a modern dancer, leading Campbell to spend part of her early childhood in Rome before returning to London. Campbell trained in dance from a young age, studying at the Barbara Speake Stage School from age three and later joining the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts to study ballet.

Her career in the public eye began at age eight when she appeared in Bob Marley's "Is This Love" music video in 1978, followed by appearances in Culture Club videos in the early 1980s. In 1986, while window-shopping in Covent Garden, she was scouted by Beth Boldt of the Synchro Model Agency. Shortly before turning 16, she appeared on the cover of British Elle, launching her career as a high-fashion model.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Campbell attained global fame as a supermodel. Alongside Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, she formed part of a celebrated trio dubbed the "Trinity," and later joined the "Big Six" group of top supermodels. Campbell broke significant industry barriers as the first Black woman to grace the covers of French Vogue and Time, as well as the September issue of American Vogue. She walked the runway for major fashion houses such as Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, Isaac Mizrahi, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, and posed for renowned photographers like Peter Lindbergh and Annie Leibovitz. She also frequently walked in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show between 1996 and 2005, making history as the first Black model to open the show.

Beyond print media and runway work, Campbell expanded into film, television, music, and publishing. In 1994, she released a novel titled Swan and an R&B studio album titled Babywoman. Her screen appearances include music videos such as George Michael's "Freedom! '90" and Michael Jackson's "In the Closet," as well as acting roles in series like Empire, American Horror Story: Hotel, and Star. She hosted and served as a coach on the modelling competition show The Face and its international editions, and was named TV Personality of the Year by Glamour Magazine in 2014. In 2020, she launched the YouTube interview web series No Filter with Naomi, and in 2023 she executive produced the documentary Invisible Beauty and starred in the Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models.

Campbell's contributions to the fashion industry have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Fashion Icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2018 and an honorary doctorate from the University for the Creative Arts in 2022. She secured her first cosmetics contract with NARS in 2019 and was appointed a tourism ambassador for Kenya's Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife in 2021. Although actively involved in charitable causes throughout her career, she was disqualified from serving as a charity trustee in the United Kingdom for five years in September 2024 following a financial misconduct inquiry. In June 2024, London's Victoria and Albert Museum presented a solo exhibition dedicated to her career, titled "Naomi: In Fashion."