NAOMI: In Fashion
V&A South Kensington, London, England
June 22nd 2024 – April 6th 2025
In London, the V&A Museum has opened “NAOMI: In Fashion,” the first exhibition of its kind celebrating the skill and contributions of an individual model to the entirety of the fashion industry. The exhibit explores the extraordinary career of Naomi Campbell, one of the iconic fashion models for which the term “supermodel” was coined. The V&A Museum celebrates Campbell’s creative collaborations, far-reaching cultural impact and her continued activism through the work of leading global designers and photographers.
“NAOMI: In Fashion” is produced in collaboration with Campbell, and foregrounds her voice and perspective, especially as a Black woman within the often unforgiving and exclusive fashion community. The V&A’s collection already houses many designer objects from key moments from the Catwalk Queen’s career and has loaned others from designer archives and some from Campbell’s wardrobe of haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles. The exhibit weaves Campbell’s activism: she has advocated for equity and inclusion from an early age, in 1989 joining the Black Girls Coalition and in 2007 fronting “A Black Issue” of Vogue Italia that called for runway diversity.
“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. We’re delighted to be working with Naomi Campbell on this project and to celebrate her career with our audiences.”
– Sonnet Stanfill, Senior Curator of Fashion, V&A
The exhibit is truly immersive, with eight different sections that visitors walk through to experience Campbell’s career just as it progressed in her life. “NAOMI: In Fashion” combines photographs, videos and fashion pieces to surround visitors with, letting them explore bits of fashion she inspired and wore on the runway. Additionally, the V&A released five special features on their website to accompany the exhibit, including an unboxing video, informative articles about Naomi and other trailblazing Black models and a curated playlist by the supermodel herself.
Becoming Naomi
The first section opens with impactful catwalk clips showcasing Naomi Campbell’s legendary walk. This section showcases the dance training that her later success is grounded in, her childhood in South London in the 1970s and her life-changing discovery at age 15 by a model agent that got her to the cover of Vogue two years later.
Supermodel
After Campbell’s entrance into the field of fashion modeling, by the 1990s the term “supermodel” appeared to describe models turned international celebrities and was used to reference Campbell and a small group of her peers. Fashion was now mass entertainment, and Naomi was at the center of everything, her talents being solicited by leading designers like Gianni Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and Vivienne Westwood. Campbell worked with photographers to create some of the most memorable images of the era and transcended the fashion world by performing in music videos and launching her perfume, in addition to her work championing diversity.
Azzedine Alaïa
After a mishap involving stolen traveler’s cheques in Paris, Campbell developed a close relationship with designer Azzedine Alaïa. Alaïa is famed for his figure-hugging designs, and he was greatly inspired by Campbell, who served as his fit model for quite some time. Campbell grew to call Alaïa ‘Papa,’ and deeply respected his craft.
New York
When she was 17, Campbell moved to New York and threw herself into the electric fashion scene. There, she formed lasting friendships with designers and other industry insiders like Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui.
The spotlight
Campbell’s high-profile status has been cemented since the early 1990s, and The spotlight explores the uber-publicized moment when Campbell served court-ordered community service in New York. Paparrazi captured her arrival and departure every day of the week she was working—and on display is the Dolce & Gabbana gown Campbell wore on her final day as a graceful yet humorous response to all the media attention.
Exemplar
Naomi Campbell is considered an exemplar in the field, as proven by her many collaborations with fashion houses from Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood to Dolce & Gabbana. These connections from when Campbell was just breaking into the scene evolved into lifetime collaborative friendships. Designers valued her ability to glamorize anything she put on and model even the most difficult ensembles with ease—at least most of the time!
Alchemy
“As anyone who has worked with her knows, when Naomi arrives at a shoot, she is there to work.”
– Edward Enninful, OBE
A selection of photography curated by Edward Enninful showcases Naomi Campbell’s unique alchemy—her almost magical chemistry and connection—with the camera. The section highlights the deep respect Campbell exhibits for those she works with, her recognition of their artistic talent and vision and the work she puts into achieving the image they have in mind. World-renowned photographers such as Steven Meisel, David Bailey and Patrick Demarchelier are featured, despite the 2018 sexual assault allegations aimed at Demarchelier and his subsequent drop from Condé Nast before he died in 2022.
Archetype
Lastly, Campbell’s work advocating for friends and emerging designers is recognized. Naomi Campbell is truly an archetype within the fashion industry with her 40 years of experience working with the top and most influential names in fashion, and her irrefutable skill and reputation as an extraordinary model.
