Fashion and Exhibition: "Naomi In Fashion" Opens at the V&A Museum, London - June 22 2024 - April 6 2025

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who is known for her unparalleled contributions to the fashion industry, needs no introduction.

Naomi Campbell is pictured with a silver beaded dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, which she wore in December 2019 when receiving the Fashion Icon Award at the British Fashion Council's awards ceremony; and a bondage dress by Azzedine Alaïa.
Photo by Dave BenettGetty Images for the Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London is set to celebrate Naomi Campbell's legacy through an exhibition that highlights her trailblazing career, advocacy for diversity, and status as a cultural icon. Naomi has not only transformed the fashion industry but has also significantly influenced broader discussions about race, beauty standards, and representation. With a career that spans 40 years, and now a mother of two, she continues to be a symbol of excellence and resilience, inspiring new generations of models and fashion enthusiasts.

This marks the first exhibition of its kind, as noted by the V&A, exploring the extraordinary career of Naomi Campbell. It will cover her creative collaborations, activism, and vast cultural impact through the work of leading global designers and photographers. 

Born on May 22, 1970, in London, Naomi's career began at a young age and she quickly soared to international fame. She was one of the five original supermodels who dominated the 1980s and 1990s, alongside Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Claudia Schiffer, solidifying her status as one of the most iconic and influential figures in the fashion industry.

 Azzedine Alaia was one of the fashion designers for whom Naomi Campbell modelled.

 

Renowned for her commanding walk and presence, Naomi Campbell's runway performances are legendary. Numerous fashion show footages in the exhibition testify to her iconic catwalk moves. She has graced the catwalk for virtually every major fashion house, including Versace, Chanel, Valentino, Thierry Mugler, and Azzedine Alaïa, the Tunisian-born couturier who became her mentor and father figure when Naomi was starting out in Paris. He frequently cast her in his shows and featured her in his campaigns, significantly boosting her career.

From the Thierry Mugler Archives. 
Photo courtesy of V&A Museum.

The infamous Vivienne Westwood blue platform shoes that have become iconic since Naomi's fall on catwalk in 1993, representing a daring moment in fashion history. 
Photo courtesy of V&A

The show includes more than 100 pieces of fashion, as well as personal photographs, and keepsakes like backstage passes, all pulled from Campbell’s personal archive. One particular window in the exhibition is done up like her personal dressing room, giving an intimate insight her chaotic life in the 1990s when she often stayed in hotels such as London Claridge's.  

A dressing room styled by Naomi Campbell with Virgina Rates, based on a room at London's Claridge's Hotel where Naomi often stayed in the 1990s.  It included Naomi's personal items and clothes, as well as furniture from Claridge's and the Soup Hat by Philip Treacy. Photo by Lucia Carpio

Siginificant items on show include the hazmat suit and poncho she famously wore to travel post-COVID, and  the Dolce & Gabbana silver gown she wore when she completed her community service as she wanted to walk out with her head held high.

Naomi is also famous for her little tumble on a catwalk while modelling for Vivienne Westwood. She was wearing a pair of towering, nine-inch (approximately 23 centimeters) blue platform heels. These shoes, designed by Westwood, are now infamous for their extreme height and the role they played in the fall. The platforms, known as the "Super Elevated Gillie," were made from luxurious materials and featured exaggerated proportions, epitomizing Westwood's bold and avant-garde design aesthetic.

An archival footage shows that despite the fall, Naomi handled the situation with grace and professionalism, quickly laughing it off and getting back up to continue her walk.

Naomi's first cover was on British Vogue December 1987 issue, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier.
She is seen wearoing a gold jacket with blue breeches by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel.  From Naomi's private collection, as shown at the V&A exhibition.

Naomi has graced the covers of numerous high-profile magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar. Her frequent appearances broke barriers and set new standards for diversity in fashion media.

NAOMI In Fashion at the V&A, 22 June 2024 – 6 April 2025. Photo by Marco Bahler

Often referred to as a trailblazer, she is noted as the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue, in 1988, and the first black model on the September cover of American Vogue, in 1989.

Naomi Campbell's impact extends far beyond her modeling achievements. She represents progress and empowerment for black individuals in a predominantly white industry. 

Promotion of Naomi Campbell in a shop window of Hugo Boss (a sponsor of the V&A Naomi exhibition) on London's Regent Street.   To celebrate the exhibition at the V&A, BOSS has designed two limited-edition garments exclusively for the V&A.  Photo by Lucia Carpio

Naomi has also leveraged her platform to advocate for diversity and inclusion within the fashion industry, vocally championing increased representation of people of colour on runways, in magazines, and in executive roles within fashion houses.

Naomi In Fashion is running at the V&A Museum, London from June 24 2024 to April 6 2025.