The inimitable style of Naomi Campbell through the years

Campbell was a muse of Gianni Versace and was known to be his favourite model. She was informed of his death in 1997 while driving to Rome to meet with Donatella Versace and was famously pictured weeping at his funeral. Among the numerous looks she wore during his career, she is seen here wearing a colourful ensemble from the Versace spring/summer 1991 ‘pop collection’. The dress features the iconography of artist Andy Warhol.

As the years went by, Campbell quickly became an established favourite of some of the decade’s most iconic designers, including Thierry Mugler. She is seen here walking Mugler’s ready-to-wear fall/winter 1995-1996 in an aristocratic ensemble featuring an oversized white shawl, a black and white patterned sheath dress, and a hat embellished with large flowers. 

That same year, in 1995, she broke barriers as the first Black model on the cover of the French edition of Vogue.

See also: Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell: Supermodels Are Now Super 50-Somethings

“He’s not just family to me. He is and stands for the word: fashion,” Campbell sang praises to Jean Paul Gaultier during a 2021 interview with the designer. Campbell and Gaultier have been longtime friends and colleagues since he first spotted her at her first Paris runway appearance in 1986. In 1998, she modelled his fall/winter 1998-1999 collection, which included this grey fur jacket and neck muffler over a rhinestone brassiere and skirt.

Campbell had a famously close friendship with Tunisian-French designer Alaïa. She considered the late industry legend a father figure, even going far as to bestow on him the affection nickname “Papa”. Here, the model is featured in his spring/summer 2003 haute couture show in a sheer black polka-dot dress.

As the decades pass, Campbell’s star power refuses to wane as she continues to walk runways. She is captured here demonstrating her sultry signature walk for Russian designer Igor Chapurin’s Pret-a-Porter spring/summer 2010 show, donning a flowing brown chiffon outfit with a corseted bodice and long train.

Now nearing her mid-50s, Campbell shows no sign of slowing down. Just last February, she stole the show at Milan Fashion Week during Dolce & Gabbana’s fall/winter 2024 presentation. The mother of two wore an all-black sheer lingerie ensemble, consisting of a lace bralette and silk skirt

NOW READ

5 high-powered looks that show how Claude Montana pioneered ’80s and ’90s couture

5 times Juergen Teller’s work provoked, enthralled and blazed the course of fashion photography

London Calling: The Gucci Cruise 2025 collection is Sabato de Sarno’s love letter to the Big Smoke