Naomi Campbell
1 portrait of Naomi Campbell
© Condé Nast
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Naomi Campbell
by Patrick Demarchelier
C-type colour print, 1987
45 5/8 in. x 34 in. (1158 mm x 865 mm) overall
Given by Condé Nast, 2016
Photographs Collection
NPG x199692
On display in Room 28 on Floor 2 at the National Portrait Gallery
Linked publicationsback to top
- 100 Pioneering Women, p. 128 Read entry
London-born Naomi Campbell (b.1970) attended stage school, aged five, and worked in television and on music videos before signing with a model agency in 1985. She appeared on the cover of British Elle (1985) then British (1987), Italian (1988) and American (1989) Vogue. She was the first black cover model for French Vogue in 1988. Her early experiences of performing and auditioning led to a sense of being overlooked: ‘I understood what it meant to be black. … You had to be twice as good.’ An original 1990s supermodel, she has fronted high-profile campaigns for prestige couture houses, and stands against racism and for diversity in her industry. Her advice, reported by Elle, to those insecure in an industry that seems not to value them: ‘Do not give up or give in.’ A contributor to British GQ, Interview and other magazines, as well as, from 2017, contributing editor to British Vogue, she also fundraises for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and is a spokesperson for Fashion for Relief.
- Edited by Rab MacGibbon and Tanya Bentley, Icons and Identities, 2021, p. 39
- Muir, Robin, VOGUE 100: A Century of Style: Highlights (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 February - 22 May 2016), p. 117
- Muir, Robin, VOGUE 100: A Century of Style (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 11 February - 22 May 2016), p. 204
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Current affairs
Hurricane-force winds batter southern England, blowing-down trees, and damaging buildings, blocking roads and causing 19 deaths. The storm was not predicted by the Met Office, a fact that is often jeeringly referred to by quoting Michael Fish's response to a report that 'there was a hurricane on the way…don't worry… there isn't' (the report was actually referring to Florida, not the UK).Art and science
Alan Bennett's series of monologues Talking Heads is aired by the BBC. The series featured a set of characters that show the secret lives of the English: their dreams, frustrations, and fantasies. The impressive cast included Dame Thora Hird, Patricia Routledge, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters and Bennett himself.International
The second largest ever one-day percentage decline in the stock market is named Black Monday. The Dow Jones index in the USA dropped dramatically followed by similar drops around the world. It is still unclear what exactly caused the crash, although worldwide panic selling certainly made it escalate.Terry Waite is taken hostage while trying to negotiate the release of four men held by the Islamic Jihad in Beirut.
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