An exhibition dedicated to Naomi Campbell has opened in London
This is the first time the 54-year-old British model has received such an honor.
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Naomi Campbell brought stylish looks and a model's gait to London's Victoria and Albert Museum this week. A unique exhibition celebrating the famous model's nearly 40-year career opened there.
"Naomi: In Fashion" ("Naomi: In Fashion") is a retrospective of Campbell's key images, as well as a story about her influence on world fashion and social activities. The exhibition features lavish couture dresses, high heels, as well as photographs and magazine covers featuring Naomi. The work was curated by former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. "There have been so many exhibitions about fashion designers and photographers, but the model is often left out of the story," said Sonnet Stanfill, senior curator of fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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"And Naomi Campbell's impressive 40-year career really...proves that she is a unique specimen in this field because she not only works with the best designers and photographers and magazines in the industry, but she also uses her platform to help bring attention to emerging artists."
The model, nicknamed the "black panther" early in her career for her grace and free-spirited nature, began trying her hand on the runway as a teenager. She was soon invited to participate in shows by world-renowned brands such as Prada, Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and others. She has also always tried to support African designers. Campbell was the first black model to appear on the covers of French Vogue and Time magazine, as well as on the cover of the prestigious September issue of American Vogue. The outfits included in the exhibition "Naomi: In Fashion" are by Gianni Versace and Azzedine Alaïa, as well as African designers Kenneth Eze and Tebe Magugu.
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Among the exhibits, a glittering Dolce & Gabbana dress is particularly eye-catching. Naomi wore it on the last day of community service, which was held in the New York City Department of Transportation in 2008 for injuring her housekeeper. The women argued over a pair of jeans, as a result, Campbell could not help herself and threw a cell phone at her opponent. In addition, visitors to the exhibition will be interested to see the famous blue platform shoes, which caused the fall of a mannequin in 1993 at the show of the fall-winter collection of Vivienne Westwood.