One of the famous black supermodels of the fashion world, who grew up not knowing her father: Who is Naomi Campbell?

Her full name is Naomi Elaine Campbell, she was born on 22 May 1970 in Lambeth, South London. She was born to her mother, Jamaican-born dancer Valerie Morris. Campbell never met her father, who left her mother when she was four months pregnant and whose name is not written on her birth certificate. Naomi took the surname "Campbell" from her mother's second marriage. Naomi has a half-brother named Pierre, born in 1985. Campbell's family has Afro-Jamaican and Sino-Jamaican ancestry.

Campbell grew up spending her early years in Rome, Italy, where her mother worked as a dancer. Joining the Barbara Speake Stage School at the age of three, Campbell enrolled at the Italia Conti Academy of Theater Arts, where she studied ballet at the age of 10.

Campbell made her debut in 1978, appearing in the music video for singer Bob Marley's "Is This Love". In 1983, she took part in the rock band Culture Club by tap dancing in the music videos of "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Mistake number 3" in 1984. Trained in dance from the ages of 3 to 16 and originally planning to become a dancer, Campbell was discovered by Synchro Model Agency head Beth Boldt while window shopping in Covent Garden in 1986. Quickly advancing the steps of her career, Campbell appeared before the camera for the cover of the British magazine Elle, just before her 16th birthday.

Over the next few years, Campbell's career took a steady rise. Naomi has started walking the catwalk, primarily for designers like Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaïa, and Isaac Mizrahi. Additionally, Naomi has posed for magazines and catwalks for photographers like Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, and Bruce Weber. In the late 1980s, Campbell, along with models Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, formed a trio known as the "Trinity" who became the most recognizable and in-demand models of their generation.

Campbell received support from her white friends when she faced racial discrimination on the runways and in magazines. Likewise, it was announced that Turlington and Evangelista told luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, "You can't get us if you don't use Naomi." She appeared before the camera in December 1987 as the first black cover girl of British Vogue magazine since 1966. In August 1988, she also became the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue magazine, she. The following year, she appeared on the cover of September, traditionally the biggest and most important issue of the year, in American Vogue's issue, with a black model adorning her front for the first time.

Declared "the reigning megamodel of all" by Interview magazine in January 1990, Naomi posed with Turlington, Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Tatjana Patitz on the cover of British Vogue, shot by photographer Peter Lindbergh. The group then posed for the lead role in singer George Michael's music video for "Freedom!'90". By then, Campbell, Turlington, Evangelista, Crawford and Claudia Schiffer had become an elite group of models declared "supermodels" by the fashion industry. With the addition of newcomer Kate Moss to the group, they became known in public and in the media as the "Big Six".

In March 1991, at a defining moment in the so-called supermodel era, Campbell, Turlington, Evangelista and Crawford walked arm in arm for the luxury fashion company Versace. Later that year, she starred in the music video for "In the Closet". In April 1992, she appeared in front of the camera with several other top models for the centennial cover of American Vogue, shot by photographer Patrick Demarchelier. That same year, she appeared in a series of nude photos with Madonna and rapper Big Daddy Kane in Madonna's controversial book "Sex."

In 1993, Campbell posed twice on the cover of American Vogue. Later, Vivienne Westwood became more famous when she flipped her foot on the Fall 1993 podium in foot-high platform shoes on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Despite her success, Elite Model Management agency, which has represented Naomi since 1987, severed all ties with Naomi and fired her in September.

In the mid-1990s, Campbell published "Swan," his novel about a blackmailing supermodel, in 1994. The book was met with poor reviews by critics. In the same year, she released her first studio album, "Baby Woman", named after designer Rifat Özbek's nickname for Naomi. The album was only able to be commercially successful in Japan and was ridiculed by critics. In addition, it inspired an awards ceremony dedicated to the worst musical performances of the year called the Naomi Awards for terrible pop music. In the mid-1990s, Campbell appeared in small roles in the romantic comedy "Miami Rhapsody" and the Spike Lee-directed black comedy "Girl 6." She also had a recurring role in the second season of the police drama "New York Undercover".

In 1998, Time magazine announced that the era of the supermodel was over. Campbell continued her modeling career both on the runway and more often in print. The following year, she signed her first cosmetics deal with "Cosmopolitan Cosmetics", a division of the company called Wella. With this deal, she launched a few special fragrances. In November of the same year, she appeared in front of the camera with 12 other famous models for the "Modern Muses" cover of the Millennium Issue of American Vogue, shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz. The following month, she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine, she. In May 2001, she hosted the 50th Miss Universe pageant alongside supermodel Elle Macpherson. Later, she posed with rapper Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs on the cover of British Vogue with the caption "Naomi and Puff: The Ultimate Power Duo".

In 2007, she took the runway for the 60th anniversary fashion show of the luxury house Dior. In July 2008, she posed with her black model friends Liya Kebede, Sessilee Lopez and Jourdan Dunn for the cover of an important all-black issue of Italian Vogue magazine, shot by photographer Steven Meisel. In September of the same year, Campbell reunited with Turlington, Evangelista, Crawford, Schiffer and Seymour for "A League of Their Own," a Vanity Fair magazine feature film on the legacy of the supermodel.

In 2011, Campbell appeared on the cover of Essence magazine's 40th anniversary issue with Liya Kebede and Iman. Also, "Girl Panic!" starring fellow band members Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen, Eva Herzigova and Yasmin Le Bon. She appeared in the music video as the lead singer Simon Le Bon. Then they posed in an editorial titled "The Supers vs. Duran Duran" in the November issue of British Harper's Bazaar magazine. Campbell walked the runway with Kate Moss and other supermodels at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.

In March 2013, Campbell was featured on the opening cover of Numéro magazine Russia. She has also appeared on reality television through the modeling contest "The Face" and its international branches. In the US, she appeared with Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha on the game show "The Face" presented by photographer Nigel Barker. That same year, she hosted the British version of the show aired on Sky Living, and "The Face Australia", which aired on Fox8 in 2014.

In 2014, Campbell appeared in front of the camera in the May issue of Vogue magazine Australia, the September issue of Vogue magazine Japan and the November issue of Vogue magazine Turkey. She also posed for the Vietnam, Singapore and 35th anniversary Latin America edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine she. In 2014, Naomi was named "TV Person of the Year" by Glamor Magazine and her award was presented at the annual "Glamor Women of the Year Awards" in London.

The following year she closed with the Fall/Winter Zac Posen fashion show at New York Fashion Week. Later, she posed for the Spring/Summer 2015 campaigns of luxury fashion house Burberry and lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur. Naomi has walked the runways for many famous designers and fashion houses, notably Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Chloé, Prada, Chanel, Hermés, Marchesa, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior. In addition, she appeared in front of the camera in advertising campaigns of many brands. Among these brands; giant companies such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Blumarine, La Perla, Philipp Plein, Mango, Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Avon, Victoria's Secret took part.

In 2015, Campbell appeared in the Fox drama tv series "Empire" as Camilla Marks, a fashion designer and a crush on Hakeem Lyon. In October that same year, she appeared in a two-part broadcast as a Vogue fashion editor named Claudia Bankson on the TV series "American Horror Story: Hotel".

In 2016, Campbell appeared in the music video for Anohni's song "Drone Bomb Me". In September 2017, she walked with Schiffer, Crawford, Christensen and Carla Bruni on Versace's Spring/Summer 2018 fashion show and starred in the collectibles campaign. In February 2018, Campbell and Kate Moss returned to the runways and walked in designer Kim Jones' latest menswear show for Louis Vuitton. She appeared on the cover of British GQ magazine in April with rapper Skepta.

Campbell was honored with the "Fashion Icon Award" by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in June 2018. The following year, she signed the first beauty deal of her career with NARS Cosmetics. In the spring of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell started her own web series on YouTube called "No Filters with Naomi", where she chats with various guests. Cindy Crawford joined as the show's opening guest. The 50th episode of the series aired on March 16, 2021 with Jean Paul Gaultier as a guest.

In October 2020, Campbell and Apple TV+ announced a documentary called "The Supermodels," directed by Barbara Kopple, about Campbell and her supermodel friends Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. On January 12, 2021, she was appointed as a "tourism ambassador" by the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.

Campbell posed on the cover of the spring issue of i-D magazine in February 2021. In March 2021, she was announced as the face of the advertising campaign of the streetwear brand "Hood by Air". In July 2022, Campbell was honored with an "honorary doctorate" from UCA (University of the Creative Arts) for her impact on global fashion.

Personal life

In 1993, Naomi got engaged to Adam Clayton, the bassist of the rock band U2. The couple separated the following year. She had an affair with Leonardo DiCaprio in 1995. From 1998 to 2003, she was in a relationship with Flavio Briatore, head of Formula 1 racing. From 2008 to 2013, she became romantically involved with Russian businessman Vladislav Doronin. In 2019, she dated rapper Skepta. In May 2021, Naomi reported the birth of her daughter, and in February 2022, she appeared before the camera for a photo shoot with her child, confirming to Vogue magazine that her daughter was not adopted.

Campbell considers fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa, whom she met at the age of 16, to be her "father". Earlier, Campbell joined rehab in 1999 after five years of cocaine drug addiction and alcohol abuse. Since the same year, Campbell has launched 25 fragrances for women through its eponymous perfume house. 

Despite her success as the most famous black model of her time, Campbell did not appear in the same number of commercials as her other white colleagues. In addition, she did not sign a contract with any cosmetics company until late 1999. Interested in several charitable causes, Campbell supported the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund in 1998. In addition to this, Campbell, whose mother is battling breast cancer, also supports the charity "Breakthrough Breast Cancer". In addition, she is not only involved in many issues materially and morally, but also in aid campaigns, signature funds and collaborations. She was honored with a series of awards for her help and awareness. In addition, Naomi has won many awards in various categories in different years for her contribution to the fashion industry.