One of the five original supermodels, Naomi Campbell was born in London and caught her break when she was 15 years old. She has graced the covers of more than 500 magazines during her career, and has been featured in campaigns for Burberry, Prada, Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Valentino.
She was the first black model to appear on the cover of TIME magazine, French Vogue and Russian Vogue as well as the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue. The runway was her domain as she showcased the collectionsof top designers, including Chanel, Azzedine Alaia, Christian Dior and Versace.
Additionally, Campbell has appeared in countless TV shows, music videos and films, including “The Cosby Show,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Madonna’s “Erotica,"Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and Michael Jackson's "In The Closet." Campbell is also responsible for an incredible amount of fundraising and charity work in South Africa and across the globe. She began charity work with Nelson Mandela in 1993, and in 1997 he named her “Honorary Granddaughter” for endless activism.
This month’s Vogue has added personal significance, as its star is no less a force than Naomi Campbell, who makes her cover debut for me as editor-in-chief. There has been so much written about her over the years, but I think many would be surprised to discover how loyal and generous she is. As a friend, she is kind and very sensitive, yet at the same time she is a fighter – Jamaican, a buffalo soldier – who stands up for herself. To me, she will always be a legend, like the last of the silent movie stars: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Naomi Campbell. With all the flashbulbs, the fashion, the entourages, the jets, the philanthropy, the red carpets and the world leaders on speed dial, she seems to live at twice the pace of the rest of us. All the clichés genuinely do apply to Naomi – you could not make her up and she really is larger than life.
Naomi caps an issue wholly dedicated to putting the Vogue stamp on the first weeks of spring, whether that’s by celebrating the women who have defined the Brexit debate, or being granted an audience with Tracey Emin as she returns with a new exhibition. The crucial trends are front and center, of course. Optimistic, fun, colorful and slightly eccentric – there is plenty of escape on offer within these pages, whether it’s a leap of the imagination or taking the season’s best pieces to be photographed on the beaches in LA, or the streets of New York and London. We live in serious times, but I hope that there is still room for a little fun. I believe it’s important that there is.