Naomi Campbell to Be Focus of New Fashion Exhibition

British supermodel Naomi Campbell will be the focus of a new fashion exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Naomi, the exhibition’s name, will reveal designs Campbell wore on the runway and pieces from her private collection. “This is the first time that a model will be the focus of an exhibition at the V&A, and Campbell’s personal involvement also makes it unique,” states Emma Spedding from Vogue. Unique is an understatement. With 40 years of experience in the fashion industry, Campbell’s historical impact on fashion is as remarkable as the clothes she wore down the runway. 

At 15 years old, the London-born model was scouted by Beth Boldt. “When I saw her, you could just tell – she radiated beauty,” Boldt told Marie Claire. Campbell didn’t take long after that to dominate the fashion world with her “slay” energy. Soon, she became the most coveted model in the industry. World-famous designers like Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Azzedine Alaia, and Karl Lagerfeld wanted Naomi Campbell’s natural beauty to complement their designs. 

Campbell’s brilliant intuition to captivate an audience wasn’t the only monumental benchmark in model history. In addition, she also paved the path to inclusivity in the fashion industry. “And so, in August 1988, Campbell became the magazine’s first black cover star,” states Amy Nelmes Bissett from Marie Claire. “She also became the first British black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue, and the first black model to cover US Vogue’s most prestigious issue of the year – the September issue – in 1989.”

The milestones set by Campbell are, in fact, exhibition-worthy. The exhibition will take place at the V&A museum on June 22, 2024. The collections will include pieces from Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and more. “The only gown Stanfill confirmed will appear is the pink feathered and lace gown Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli designed for the supermodel to wear to the Met Gala in 2019,” states Spedding.

 Learn more about the exhibition in Emma Spedding’s article from Vogue.