Naomi: in Fashion
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
From June 22nd, 2024 until April 6th, 2025
Born in the London neighborhood of Brixton, Naomi Campbell studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and appeared in several music videos before signing with the Synchro model agency at the age of 15. Her career quickly took off: shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Naomi appeared on the cover of British Elle. The first black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue, in August 1988, she also became the first to appear on the cover of French Vogue, reportedly after Yves Saint Laurent threatened to withdraw his advertising from the magazine if it continued to refuse to put Naomi on the cover. The new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London celebrates the life and career of one of the greatest supermodels of the 1990s.
“We are delighted to work with Naomi Campbell on this project and to celebrate her career with our audience”.
Naomi, the new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, will open to the public on June 22, 2024, and will be on display until April 6, 2025. The exhibition includes approximately 100 looks that have become iconic in the career of the British supermodel and a tangible testament to her forty years in the industry, created by designers such as Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Gianni and Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, and Yves Saint Laurent. Highlighting her voice and perspective, the exhibition will draw from Naomi Campbell’s extensive personal collection of Haute Couture and prêt-à-porter, along with some loans from international designers’ archives and the V&A’s private collection. Partly curated by Edward Enninful, cultural adviser and global consultant for Vogue, the exhibition spans a series of iconic shots of Naomi Campbell through the lenses of Nick Knight, Steven Meisel, and Tim Walker, to her campaigns for equal rights, such as The Diversity Coalition with Iman and Bethann Hardison, participation in the Black Girls Coalition in 1989, and the founding of Emerge, a global initiative founded in 2022 focused on providing alternative educational pathways for emerging creatives from Africa, the diaspora, and developing areas.
“Naomi Campbell’s extraordinary career intersects with the best of high fashion. 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”.
For further information vam.ac.uk.
