Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970)[6] is a Britishfashion model. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declaredsupermodels by thefashion industry and the international press.[7] She was the first black woman to appear as a model on the covers ofTime andVogue France.[8][9]
In addition to her modelling career, Campbell has embarked on other ventures, includingan R&B studio album and several acting appearances in film and television. She hosted the modelling-competition reality showThe Face and its international offshoots. Campbell is also involved in charity work for various causes. She was banned from being a trustee of any charity in the United Kingdom for five years in September 2024 following a misconduct investigation that determined that her charity spent only 8.5% of its income on charitable grants, while making unauthorised payments such as paying for Campbell's stay at a five-star hotel, as well as spa treatments, room service, security and cigarettes.[10]
Naomi Elaine Campbell was born on 22 May 1970 inLambeth,[4] South London, to Jamaican-born dancer Valerie Morris.[11] In accordance with her mother's wishes, Campbell has never met her father,[12] who abandoned her mother when she was four months pregnant[11] and went unnamed on her birth certificate.[12] She took the surname "Campbell" from her mother's second marriage.[11] Her half-brother Pierre was born in 1985.[13] Campbell is of Black-Jamaican and Chinese-Jamaican descent. Her Chinese heritage comes through her maternal grandmother, whose surname was Ming.[11]
In 1978 at age 8, Campbell made her first public appearance in the music video forBob Marley's "Is This Love".[18] She tap-danced in 1983 in the music video forCulture Club's "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Mistake number 3", in 1984.[14] She had studied dance from age 3 to 16, and originally intended to be a dancer.[19] In 1986, while still a student of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Campbell was scouted by Beth Boldt, head of the Synchro Model Agency, while window-shopping inCovent Garden.[20][21][22] In April, just before her 16th birthday she appeared on the cover of BritishElle.[14][22]
When faced withracial discrimination, Campbell received support from her white friends; she later quoted Turlington and Evangelista as tellingDolce & Gabbana, "If you don't use Naomi, you don't get us."[20] In December 1987, she appeared on the cover of BritishVogue, as that publication's first black cover girl since 1966.[21][24] In August 1988, she became the first black model to appear on the cover of FrenchVogue,[14] after designerYves St. Laurent threatened to withdraw his advertising from the magazine if it didn't place Naomi on its cover.[25] The following year, she appeared on the cover of AmericanVogue, which marked the first time a black model graced the front of the September magazine, traditionally the year's biggest and most important issue.[14]
In January 1990, Campbell, who was declared "the reigning megamodel of them all" byInterview,[26] appeared with Turlington, Evangelista,Cindy Crawford andTatjana Patitz on a cover of BritishVogue, shot by Peter Lindbergh.[27][28] The group was subsequently cast to star in the music video forGeorge Michael's "Freedom! '90".[23] By then, Campbell, Turlington, Evangelista, Crawford andClaudia Schiffer were called "supermodels" by the fashion industry.[7] With the addition of newcomerKate Moss, they were collectively known as the "Big Six".[7]
In March 1991, Campbell walked the catwalk forVersace with Turlington, Evangelista and Crawford, arm-in-arm and lip-synching the words to "Freedom! '90".[23] Later that year, she starred asMichael Jackson's love interest in the music video for "In the Closet".[18] In April 1992, she posed with several other models for the hundredth-anniversary cover ofAmericanVogue, shot byPatrick Demarchelier.[29] That same year, she appeared inMadonna's controversial bookSex, in a set of nude photos with Madonna and rapperBig Daddy Kane.[30]
In 1993, Campbell twice appeared on the cover of AmericanVogue; in April, alongside Christy Turlington, Claudia Schiffer,Stephanie Seymour andHelena Christensen, and again, solo, in June. She also fell on the Vivienne Westwood 1993 Fall catwalk in foot-highplatform shoes, which were later displayed at theVictoria and Albert Museum in London.[20] Despite her success,Elite Model Management, which had represented Campbell since 1987, dropped her contract.[31]
In 1995, Campbell walked in the second-ever Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and graced the show's catwalk seven times. Her last catwalk for the brand was in 2005. When asked why she never became a full-time Angel, the supermodel simply stated: "[they] could not afford me".
In 1997, Campbell became the first black woman ever to open aPrada show.[32]
Campbell atBill Clinton's inauguration party in 1997
In the mid-1990s, Campbell branched out into other areas of the entertainment industry.[31] Her novelSwan, about a supermodel dealing with blackmail, was released in 1994.[33] It wasghostwritten by Caroline Upcher, with Campbell stating that she "just did not have the time to sit down and write a book."[34] That same year, she released her albumBaby Woman, which was named after designerRifat Ozbek's nickname for Campbell.[14] Produced byYouth andTim Simenon, the album was only commercially successful in Japan,[34][35] with its only single, "Love and Tears", reaching No. 40 on the charts.[36]Baby Woman was mocked by critics, inspiring theNaomi Awards.[34][35] During the mid-1990s, Campbell also had small roles inMiami Rhapsody andSpike Lee'sGirl 6, as well as a recurring role on the second season ofNew York Undercover.
In 1998,Time declared the end of the supermodel era.[7] Campbell continued modelling, both on the catwalk and, more frequently, in print.[7] In 1999, she signed her first cosmetics contract with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics, a division ofWella, through which she launched several signature fragrances.[21][14] In November of that year, she posed with 12 other top models for the "Modern Muses" cover of the Millennium Issue of AmericanVogue, shot byAnnie Leibovitz.[14] The following month, she appeared in a white string bikini and furs on the cover ofPlayboy.[14] In May 2001, she hosted, alongside supermodelElle Macpherson the50th Miss Universe pageant. In October 2001, she appeared with rapperSean "Puff Daddy" Combs on the cover of BritishVogue, with the headline "Naomi and Puff: The Ultimate Power Duo".[14]
In 2007, she walked the catwalk forDior's 60th-anniversary fashion show atVersailles.[14] In July 2008, she appeared with fellow black modelsLiya Kebede,Sessilee Lopez andJourdan Dunn on the gatefold cover of a landmark all-black issue of ItalianVogue, shot bySteven Meisel. In September of that year, Campbell reunited with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Stephanie Seymour for "A League of Their Own", aVanity Fair feature on the supermodel legacy.[14]
In 2011, Campbell appeared with Liya Kebede andIman on the cover of the 40th-anniversary issue ofEssence.[14] She also starred asDuran Duran frontmanSimon Le Bon in the band's music video for "Girl Panic!", with Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen,Eva Herzigova andYasmin Le Bon portraying the other band members; they appeared in the November edition of BritishHarper's Bazaar in an editorial titled "The Supers vs. Duran Duran".[37] Campbell performed with Kate Moss and other supermodels in the closing ceremony of the2012 Olympic Games, where they modelled haute couture to represent British fashion. Campbell wore a design byAlexander McQueen—a staggered hem gown with a train speckled with flecks of gold.[38]
In 2014, Campbell covered the May issue ofVogue Australia, the September issue ofVogue Japan, and the November issue ofVogue Turkey; the latter two were special editions celebrating Campbell and fellow supermodels.[40] Campbell also covered the Vietnamese, Singaporean and the 35th anniversary Latin American edition ofHarper's Bazaar.[41]In 2014, Campbell was named TV Personality of the year byGlamour Magazine. The award was presented at the annual Glamour Women of The Year Awards in London.[42] The following year, she closed the Fall/WinterZac Posen show atNew York Fashion Week,[43] and featured in Spring/Summer 2015 campaigns forBurberry and lingerie retailerAgent Provocateur.[44]
In 2015, Campbell signed on as a recurring character in theFox dramaEmpire as Camilla Marks, a fashion designer and love interest to Hakeem Lyon, portrayed byBryshere Y. Gray. In October 2015, Campbell was featured in a two-episode arc inAmerican Horror Story: Hotel, as aVogue fashion editor named Claudia Bankson.[45] In 2016, Campbell was cast as a recurring character Rose Crane, mother of Alexandra Crane played byRyan Destiny, and wife of Ronald Crane played byLenny Kravitz, inFox newest musical dramaStar (TV series). In 2016, Campbell appeared in the music video forAnohni's single "Drone Bomb Me". In September 2017, Campbell appeared in Versace's Spring/Summer 2018 show celebrating the lateGianni Versace, alongside Schiffer, Crawford, Christensen, andCarla Bruni and also featured in the campaign for the collection. In February 2018, Campbell and Moss returned to the catwalk and closedKim Jones' final menswear show for Louis Vuitton. In April, she featured on the cover of BritishGQ alongside rapperSkepta.[46] In June 2018, Campbell received the Fashion Icon award by theCouncil of Fashion Designers of America.[47] In 2019, Campbell received the first beauty contract of her career, withNARS Cosmetics.[48]
In the spring of 2020, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, Campbell began her own web series onYouTube,No Filter with Naomi, in which she conducts conversations with various guests.[49] Her inaugural guest wasCindy Crawford,[50] while subsequent guests ranged fromMarc Jacobs,Adut Akech, andChristy Turlington toAshley Graham andNicole Richie. The 50th episode ofNo Filter with Naomi premiered on 16 March 2021, featuring guestJean Paul Gaultier.[51] Campbell signed withStudio71 in August 2020; under this partnership, Studio71 curates her content with regard to ad sales, channel optimization, and brand partnerships across various platforms including YouTube andFacebook.[52]
The public relations firmSunshine Sachs, hired by Campbell, committed undisclosed paid editing on Campbell's Wikipedia page.[53] In these edits, references to her albumBaby Woman about her relationship withMike Tyson were white washed.[54]
On 12 January 2021, Campbell was appointed as a tourism ambassador by the Kenyan Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.[55] In February, Campbell appeared on the cover ofi-D's spring issue, describing it as one of the few times she's had the opportunity to work with aphotographer of colour.[56] The following month, Campbell was named as the face of the relaunchadvertising campaign forstreetwear brandHood by Air.[57] In July 2022, Campbell was awarded an honorary doctorate by UCA (University for the Creative Arts) in the south of London for her impact on global fashion.[58]
Campbell is featured in the 2023 four-partApple TV+docuseries titledThe Super Models. The series also features Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista and is directed byRoger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills.[66] Campbell has been a special advisor to the music company Gamma, founded byApple Music executive Larry Jackson, since 2023.[67]
Vivienne Westwood designed shoes worn by Campbell on display at an exhibition in Sheffield, England
In June 2024, theVictoria and Albert Museum in London launched a solo exhibition titled "Naomi: In Fashion”, which highlighted Campbell's philanthropic work and activism. The exhibit opens with personal images from Campbell’s archive and also displays 100 curated outfits she has worn throughout her modelling years.[21][68][69][70]
Despite her status as the most famous black model of her time, Campbell never earned the same volume of advertising assignments as her white colleagues,[72] and she was not signed by a cosmetics company until as late as 1999.[11] In 1991, she said, "I may be considered one of the top models in the world, but in no way do I make the same money as any of them."[72] Throughout her career, Campbell has been outspoken against the racial bias that exists in the fashion industry.[11] In 1997, she stated, "There is prejudice. It is a problem and I can't go along any more with brushing it under the carpet. This business is about selling, and blonde and blue-eyed girls are what sells."[24]
A decade later, she again spoke out against discrimination, stating, "The American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally."[73] In 2013, Campbell joined fellow black modelsIman andBethann Hardison in an advocacy group called "Diversity Coalition". In an open letter to the governing bodies of global fashion weeks, they named high-profile designers who used just one or no models of colour in their Autumn 2013 shows, calling it a "racist act".[21][74]
Campbell is involved with several charitable causes. She supports theNelson Mandela Children's Fund, for which she organised a benefitVersace fashion show in 1998.[14] Held atNelson Mandela's South African presidential residence,[14] the show was the subject of a documentary titledFashionKingdom, or alternatively,Naomi Conquers Africa. Campbell, whose mother has battled breast cancer, also supportsBreakthrough Breast Cancer.[75] In 2004, she was featured onFHM's charity singleDa Ya Think I'm Sexy?, as well as in the accompanying music video, of which all profits were donated to Breakthrough.[76] She appeared in a print and media campaign for the charity's fundraising initiative Fashion Targets Breast Cancer,[77] and she opened a Breakthrough breast cancer research unit in 2009.[78]
In 2005, Campbell founded the charity We Love Brazil, which aims to raise awareness and funds to fight poverty in Brazil through the sale of fabrics made by local women.[79]
That same year, Campbell founded the charityFashion for Relief, which has organised fund-raising fashion shows to benefit victims ofHurricane Katrina in 2005, theMumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, theHaiti earthquake in 2010, theJapan earthquake in 2011, and theSyrian refugee crisis in 2017.[80][14][81] By 2011, Fashion For Relief had reportedly raised £4.5 million.[81] In 2018 Campbell held another Relief charity gala and the theme was Race To Equality.[82] Following the launch of aCharity Commission investigation into Fashion Relief in 2021, Campbell was removed as atrustee from the charity in 2023, with Fashion For Relief eventually being closed by the Charity Commission on 15 March 2024.[83][84][85]
In 2012, the charity teamed up withYOOX China and leading global and Chinese fashion designers, includingPhillip Lim andMasha Ma, to design Chinese-themed T-shirts to help fund its efforts and the various international charities it works with.[90][91] Since 2007, Campbell has been the honorary president of Athla Onlus, an Italian organisation that works to further the social integration of young people with learning disabilities.[92] In 2009, Campbell became a goodwill ambassador for theWhite Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. She has since joined the charity's patron,Sarah Brown, the wife of former British prime ministerGordon Brown, on several missions to promote maternal health.[14]
Campbell has received recognition for her charitable work. In 2007, she was named an ambassador of Rio de Janeiro by mayorCesar Maia in recognition of her efforts to fight poverty in Brazil.[79] In 2009, she was awarded Honorary Patronage ofTrinity College'sUniversity Philosophical Society for her charitable and professional work.[93] In 2010, Sarah Brown presented her with an "Outstanding Contribution" award from BritishElle for her work as an ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance, as well as her work in the fashion industry.[94] In 2016,amfAR honoured Campbell for her 31 years working with the foundation to fundAIDS research.[70][95]
In July 2021, Campbell condemned racist attacks on black players for theEngland national football team, includingBukayo Saka,Marcus Rashford andJadon Sancho, after the team's defeat toItaly in theUEFA Euro 2020 soccer final, disclosing via anInstagram post that it was disgusting to read of the abuses and encouraging players not to let the ignorant voices in.[99] In the same month, Campbell wrote an open letter to formerSouth African presidentJacob Zuma, condemningriots and unrest that had broken out in the country following Zuma's incarceration.[100][101]For 2023, the Centre for Advanced Studies of Fundamental Human Rights, with the approval of the African Fashion Gate President Hon. Makaziwe Mandela has conferred La Moda Veste la Pace Award on Naomi Elaine Campbell. The awards ceremony, was celebrated in Rome at the seat of the Italian Delegation of theEuropean Commission.[102]
In September 2024, Campbell was banned from serving as a charity trustee in the UK for five years after an investigation found "multiple instances of misconduct and / or mismanagement" including that between April 2016 and July 2022, Fashion for Relief spent only 8.5% of its income on charitable grants, while making unauthorised payments to other trustees and advisors.[103] These included paying for Campbell's stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, France, as well as spa treatments, room service, security and cigarettes.[104][105]
The charity was reported to the Charity Commission after Fashion for Relief held an event at the British Museum in 2019 claimed to be held in partnership withUNICEF. UNICEF said it was unaware of the event, was never a partner of Fashion for Relief, and received no money from the charity. Question was also raised as to why Campbell was described as a UNICEF "envoy" when she held no official role with UNICEF.[106]Save the Children Fund and the Mayor's Fund for London also made complaints to the commission over the charity's failure to fully pay them proceeds from events held in 2017 and 2018. A sum of £345,000 has since been recovered from the charity and donated to the two organisations.[107][108] Campbell appealed against the ban, saying that she was a "victim of fraud and forgery" and "concerted deception" by a fellow trustee, and that she has "never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain".[109]
Campbell has been convicted of assault on four occasions between 1998 and 2009.[21] In September 1998 she was convicted of assaulting her personal assistant.[110][111] She pleaded guilty to assaulting her former housekeeper in January 2007.[20][112] She attended her community service wearing designer outfits, including fedoras, furs and a silver-sequinned $300,000Dolce & Gabbana gown upon completion of her sentence.[14][20] Campbell detailed her community service experience in aW feature titled "The Naomi Diaries", and subsequently spoofed herself in aDunkin' Donuts commercial, directed byZach Braff.[20] In June 2008 she was sentenced for assaulting two police officers atLondon Heathrow Airport.[113][114][14] In July 2015 she was found guilty of assaulting apaparazzo in Rome.[115]
In a 2010 interview forBritish Vogue, Campbell stated that in 1999 she entered rehabilitation forcocaine addiction and then she joinedAlcoholics Anonymous to get sober.[116] She stopped drinking around 2012.[117]
Campbell has never met her biological father. She regards French-based Tunisian fashion designerAzzedine Alaïa, whom she met at 16, as her "papa".[118] She also holds high respect toward record producersQuincy Jones andChris Blackwell as adopted father figures.[119] Former South African presidentNelson Mandela referred to Campbell as his "honorary granddaughter".[20] She first met Mandela in November 1994, after his party, theAfrican National Congress, invited her to travel to South Africa to meet with their leader.[14] She had previously donated the proceeds from a photo shoot in Tanzania to the ANC.[14] Over the years, Campbell has lent support to many of Mandela's political campaigns and humanitarian causes.[14]
In 1993, she became engaged toU2 bassistAdam Clayton. They met in February of that year, after Clayton, when asked in an interview if there was anything in the world he desired but did not have, responded: "A date with Naomi Campbell". Campbell and Clayton separated the following year.[20] In 1995, she datedLeonardo DiCaprio.[120] From 1998 to 2003, she was in a relationship withFormula One team principalFlavio Briatore; they were engaged.[14][20] Campbell now considers Briatore her "mentor".[119] From 2008 until 2013, she was in a relationship with Russian businessmanVladislav Doronin.[121] She also had relationships withRobert De Niro,[122]Hassan Jameel,[123]Sean "Diddy" Combs, andUsher.[124] In 2019, she datedSkepta.[125]
Campbell appears in the alleged contact book and in flight logs of late American financier and convicted sextraffickerJeffrey Epstein,[126] as well as in photographs with Epstein and his associateGhislaine Maxwell.[127] In August 2019, Campbell addressed the relationship on herYouTube channel, admitting she knew Epstein after being introduced to him by ex-boyfriendFlavio Briatore, stating: "What he's done is indefensible, when I heard what he had done, it sickened me to my stomach, just like everybody else, because I've had my fair share of sexual predators and thank God I had good people around who protected me from this. I stand with the victims. They're scarred for life. For life."[128] However, Campbell's claims are disputed by Epstein victimVirginia Roberts Giuffre, claiming Campbell was aware and a close friend of Maxwell.[129] In 2022,The Guardian reported on an alleged email exchange from May 2010 between Campbell and Saif Gaddafi, in which Campbell described Maxwell as a "great friend" and inquired about arranging a visit to Libya for Maxwell. Campbell's spokesperson responded by stating that she did not recognize the alleged email exchange and could not comment on its authenticity asThe Guardian refused to provide her with a copy or evidence of the exchange.[130]
In May 2021, she announced the birth of her daughter.[131] In February 2022, Campbell confirmed toVogue that her daughter was not adopted, posing with her child for a photoshoot.[132] In June 2023, she announced the birth of her son.[133] Campbell shared that her daughter and son were both delivered via surrogate.[134]
In 2002, Campbell won a breach of confidentiality lawsuit against theDaily Mirror, after the newspaper published a photograph of her leaving aNarcotics Anonymous meeting.[135] TheHigh Court ordered £3,500 in damages from theDaily Mirror.[135]
In August 2010, Campbell made an appearance at a trial against former Liberian presidentCharles Taylor, where she was called to give evidence on "blood diamonds" she received from Taylor inCape Town, South Africa in 1997.[136] Campbell testified that the diamonds were given to her as a gift by unknown men that she assumed were sent by Taylor.[137] She later gave the diamonds to Jeremy Ractliffe, the then director of theNelson Mandela Children's Fund, as a donation to charity. Suspecting they were illegal, Ractliffe never donated them and kept them in his possession. On 5 August 2010, South African police seized the diamonds from him.[138][139] Campbell was never charged due to her lack of criminal intent (mens rea).[140][141]
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