‘Naomi: In Fashion’ Pays Homage To Naomi Campbell’s Abundant Career

Photo credit: DAVE BENNET FOR THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM

An upcoming exhibition at London’s Victoria & Alert Museum will celebrate the fruitful life and career of Naomi Campbell. As one of the most prominent supermodels of the ‘90s,  Naomi: In Fashion will span 40 years of Campbell’s impressive work in the fashion industry. 

Campbell’s career began at the youthful age of 15 when she was scouted in Covent Garden. She broke historical barriers by becoming the first Black model to be featured on the cover of Paris Vogue at 18 years old. Since this pivotal moment, Campbell has covered over 500 magazines, walked numerous runways, and worked with the industry’s leading designers (including Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, and Saint Laurent).

Sponsored by BOSS and created in collaboration with Campbell, the exhibition will “draw upon Campbell’s own extensive wardrobe of haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles from key moments in her career, along with loans from designer archives and objects from the V&A’s collections,” states Victoria & Alert Museum.

Naomi: In Fashion will feature approximately 100 iconic looks and accessories that truly showcase Campbell’s four-decade-long career. Designs by Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni and Dontella Versace, Chanel, Burberry, Virgil Abloh, and multiple others will be displayed. 

Exhibition goers will see Campbell’s dazzling silver outfit of a strapless beaded corset and a shimmering skirt, which she showcased at Sarah Burton’s final Alexander McQueen show. The now-famous pair of Vivienne Westwood 9-inch platform shoes that Campbell wore during her well-known 1993 catwalk fall will also be included.

As an essential part of her life, the exhibition will also highlight Campbell’s activism and leadership throughout the years. Nelson Mandela will be featured, whom she acknowledges as a key figure that inspired her to use her platform to incite social change. Campbell joined the Black Girls Coalition in 1989 and has actively worked alongside Iman and Bethann Hardison with The Diversity Coalition to advocate for diversity on the catwalk. Naomi: In Fashion will spotlight her new initiative EMERGE as well, which centers on giving the next generation of creatives a platform of support for their endeavors. 

“Naomi Campbell’s extraordinary career intersects with the best of high fashion,” said V&A’s senior curator of fashion, Sonnet Stanfill. “She is recognised worldwide as a supermodel, activist, philanthropist, and creative collaborator, making her one of the most prolific and influential figures in contemporary culture. We’re delighted to be working with Naomi Campbell on this project and to celebrate her career with our audiences.”

Naomi: In Fashion opens on June 22nd, 2024. For ticket information, please visit Victoria & Alert Museum’s website.