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These trailblazers’ careers are nothing short of historic.
The fashion industry has a history of inclusivity and diversity issues —which are, unfortunately, still prevalent today. And although progress is (slowly but surely) being made to ensure that people of color, and specifically Black people, are represented in all areas of the industry including modeling, someone usually (and unfairly) has to pave the way for others. The following Black supermodels have had many firsts among them (first Black model to open a runway show , first Black model to appear on a magazine cover , first Black model to land a major cosmetics contract —the list goes on), and they’ve all also dominated countless catwalks and campaigns and deserve major recognition.
Of course, you’d have to be living under an actual rock not to know some of the iconic women listed below (*hint, hint* Naomi and Tyra), but there are also some rising supermodels who have made names for themselves in an impressively short amount of time. Below, 29 Black supermodels who have changed—and are continuing to change—the fashion and modeling industries.
Tyra Mail! Before she was the iconic America’s Next Top Model judge (and host of Dancing With the Stars , lol) , she was a supermodel herself as she walked in shows from Christian Lacroix to Victoria’s Secret. She was the first Black model to sign a contract with the latter brand and was an Angel from 1997 to 2005.
A supermodel with one of the most prolific fashion careers, Naomi’s first experience in the limelight was actually at 7 years old when she was in the Bob Marley music video for “Is This Love?” But being in the industry as long as she has can come with some controversy, and she’s currently under some scrutiny for her alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The English model has modeled in campaigns for Fenty and Pat McGrath and walked in shows for designers like Tom Ford, Moschino, Marc Jacobs, and Victoria’s Secret. She also has her own blog and fashion brand called LAPP , for Leomie Anderson the Project the Purpose, where articles are published from a diverse community of writers about style, politics, and more.
A semifinalist in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant, she was the first contestant to participate wearing a hijab. Since her participation, she received widespread attention and was signed to IMG models. She also become the first Muslim model to wear the head covering and a burkini in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Although she is mixed-race, the model has said she feels “more connected to Black culture and the Black experience,” in an interview with Allure . Her mom is Black and her dad is both Chilean and Swiss. Notably, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Arabia alongside Ashley Graham and is a runway expert (seen here at Alexander McQueen).
“I grew up in a household where my father was Black and my mother was Puerto Rican,” she said in an interview . “Those are my roots.” Pictured here at the Etro show, she’s a pro on the runways, and she recently pledged half of her 2020 wages to support Black Lives Matter organizations.
She was the first Black model to wear her natural hair down the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2015. (Took them long enough!) The Angolan model also inked a deal with L’Oréal Paris to become its new face in 2017, and she continues to kill it on the catwalk, seen here walking at a Christian Siriano show.
The French fashion model was the first Black model to walk exclusively for Calvin Klein, according to an interview with Into the Gloss , and she’s walked impressive shows like Elie Saab, Chanel, Givenchy, and more.
The Somali model was a muse for so many designers: Gianni Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Halston, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan—need I continue? She is also a philanthropist and has fundraised for important causes like AIDS research, helping refugees, and other humanitarian efforts.
She was the first Black woman to grace the cover of Vogue in 1974 and has been outspoken about the lack of diversity in various op-eds .
One of the fashion world’s hottest newcomers, Elibeidy Dani Martinez is taking the runway by storm. She is only 24 but has already walked shows for Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Brandon Maxwell, Saint Laurent, Prada, Valentino, and more . Talk about hitting the floor (er, catwalk) running.
Not just an iconic model, Grace Jones does it all: She’s a singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. She knows how to turn a runway walk into a straight-up performance. Her dances and moves bring so much energy to the crowd, which was apparent at the 2019 Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya show.
Pat Cleveland was a trailblazer in the fashion industry in the ’60s and ’70s and continues to be today. Last year—at 68 years old!—she walked in the Hellessy show, pictured here in this amazing red getup.
Naomi Sims was the first Black model to appear on the cover of Ladies’ Home Journal in 1968 as well as the 1969 issue of Life , and her career took off afterward. She also started her own wig and hairpiece business, which then expanded into cosmetics and skincare before she passed away from cancer in August 2009.
Beverly Peele has modeled for countless magazines, including Mademoiselle , Elle , Vogue , and yours truly, Cosmopolitan.
Alek Wek was the first Black model on the cover of Elle in 1997 and won the MTV Model of the Year award that same year. Born in South Sudan, she fled to Britain to escape civil war and has since walked high-profile runways like this Lanvin show. But she is vocal about discrimination and diversity in the modeling industry and has also done a TED Talk about her experience growing up in Sudan.
A muse of Yves Saint Laurent’s in the 1970s and ’80s, she was the first Black model he booked in his haute couture shows . Throughout her modeling career, she almost exclusively worked with Saint Laurent.
Gail O’Neill was a prominent model during the 1980s and ’90s, during which she modeled for glossies like Sports Illustrated and Vogue and also companies like Nordstrom and J.Crew. Since her modeling days, she’s focused on her journalism career and worked for CNN, HGTV, and CBS.
Ajok Madel is new to the modeling world but has already made a name for herself by booking runway shows for Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, and Dries van Noten. She is South Sudanese but grew up in Australia.
Winnie Harlow was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model back in 2014, and although she didn’t win that cycle, her modeling career has exploded. In her audition , she said she was bullied in school for her vitiligo, but she has been at the forefront of changing the beauty standards of the modeling industry.
Veronica Webb was the first Black model to sign a contract with Revlon in 1990. She was also a muse of Azzedine Alaia and had a close friendship with the designer. “I have sweaters I’ve been wearing for 30 years now from Alaia,” she said in an interview . “My husband gave me a white shearling jacket, which was one of Azzedine’s favorite pieces from his final collection before he passed away in 2017.”
Duckie made her runway debut at the Yeezy spring/summer 2017 show. Imagine that being your first gig?! She’s appeared in major campaigns for Moschino and Oscar de la Renta, but she got her start on Australia’s Next Top Model when she finished as one of the top three contestants on the show.
Jasmine Tookes is best known for her work as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, but she has also walked runways for Vera Wang, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and many more.
Adut Akech was exclusively cast by Saint Laurent in 2017 and has since walked for brands including Dior, Givenchy, Versace, and Miu Miu (seen here). In December 2019, she won the Model of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards in London. As a refugee of South Sudan before she moved to Australia, she also works with the United Nations to help support refugees worldwide.
Lana Ogilvie was the first Black model to be given a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and modeled in magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Vogue , Elle , Cosmopolitan (hi!), and more. In the ’90s, she was part of the Black Girls Coalition, pushing for more diversity on the runways and in print. Now, she has her own eponymous skincare line.
The English model was discovered while she was “ mucking about ” (her words, not mine) in a Primark store in 2006, and a year later, she was walking international runways. She was the first Black model to walk a Prada runway in more than a decade in 2008 and has continued to dominate fashion shows and campaigns from Burberry to Brandon Maxwell.
Debra Shaw was one of the most widely known models in the ’90s and modeled for Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, Giorgio Armani. She’s still in action today at 43 years old and walked in So. Many. Fashion. Shows. this past February and March (pictured here at Rag & Bone).
Slick Woods has walked down countless runways ranging from Marc Jacobs to Savage x Fenty (she was pregnant in the latter brand’s 2018 show and went into labor right after !). You might also recognize her signature gap-tooth smile, seen here on the LaQuan Smith runway.
Cynthia Bailey worked as a runway model in Paris and Milan for a year, then she returned to NYC and appeared in magazines including Vogue , Elle , and Essence . If you’re a fan of reality television (aka ME), you might recognize her from Real Housewives of Atlanta .

You are here: Home / Fashion / 16 Black Models Who Changed the Fashion Industry
These black models have changed fashion with their groundbreaking careers. Photo: PRPhotos.com / Harry Winston / Shutterstock.com
Beverly Johnson. Photo: Jean_Nelson / Deposit Photos
Iman retired from modeling in 1989. Photo: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com
Veronica Webb was the first black model to land a major beauty contract. Photo: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
Naomi Campbell. Photo: DFree / Shutterstock.com
Tyra Banks. Photo: PopularImages / Deposit Photos
Alek Wek. Photo: SharpShooter / Deposit Photos
Jourdan Dunn. Photo: hanna.putylina / Deposit Photos
Slick Woods. Photo: SharpShooter / Deposit Photos
Adut Akech. Photo: Cubankite / Shutterstock.com
Precious Lee. Photo: SharpShooter / Deposit Photos
Grace Jones. Photo: Album / Alamy Stock Photo
Liya Kebede. Photo: tanka_v / Deposit Photos
Noemie Lenoir. Photo: arp / Deposit Photos
Winnie Harlow. Photo: Featureflash / Deposit Photos
Winnie Harlow at Cannes Film Festival. Photo: tanka_v / Deposit Photos
Photo: SharpShooter / Deposit Photos
Joan Smalls walking for Victoria’s Secret. Photo: FashionStock.com / Shutterstock.com
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Beginning with Naomi Sims in the sixties, there have been several Black models who have broken barriers and pushed for more diversity in fashion since. Whether closing fashion shows or landing commercial campaigns, these models are absolute trailblazers. From Beverly Johnson being the first Black model to cover Vogue US to Alek Wek changing beauty standards with her career breakthroughs, we celebrate 16 models who prove that diversity is beautiful.
Naomi Sims was considered the first black supermodel. She was the first African-American woman to grace a cover of Ladies’ Home Journal in 1968 and in 1969 graced the cover of LIFE Magazine –making her the first black model to do so. In 1973, Sims retired from fashion modeling and created a wildly successful wig business . Sims also wrote books about modeling and beauty. In 2009, the American model died of breast cancer.
Beverly Johnson was the first black model to cover American Vogue —landing on the magazine’s August 1974 cover. She was also the first black woman to cover ELLE France that following year. She was signed to Ford Models and later moved to Wilhelmina Models after being told she could not land a Vogue cover like white models.
Thanks to her historic Vogue magazine cover, many fashion glossies and designers began to use black models after her appearance. Barbara has also made several television and feature film appearances. In 2012, she starred on OWN’s ‘Beverly’s Full House’—a reality series about her life and family.
Iman made her impact on modeling by being successful on the runway and print during the 70s–a time when models were usually only successful in one. Photographer Peter Beard discovered her while in Nairobi—and was immediately moved by her long neck, high forehead, and elegant features. Iman has worked with legendary photographers such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Helmut Newton during her modeling career.
Yves Saint Laurent even dedicated his ‘African Queen’ collection to the Somalian model. Since then, she has become a business mogul with Iman Cosmetics and her HSN line called ‘Global Chic.’ Iman married late rocker, David Bowie and said she would never remarry after his death.
Veronica Webb worked as a model during the 1980s and 90s and is credited with being the first African-American model to land an exclusive contract with a beauty brand. In 1992, Revlon signed Webb as a brand ambassador, making history. The African-American model has graced the covers of Vogue Italy , ELLE , and Essence Magazine . In addition, Webb has also acted in feature films including ‘Jungle Fever,’ ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘In Too Deep.’
The British supermodel began her career in 1986 and still models nearly thirty years later. Discovered at 15-years-old, she soon signed with Elite Model Management. Naomi Campbell made history as the first black woman to appear on the cover of French Vogue as well as Time Magazine . In the late 80s, Naomi became known as part of the ‘Trinity’ along with fellow supermodels Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista.
In 2013, Naomi launched the modeling competition reality television show, ‘The Face,’ in the US and Australia. And in 2015, Naomi starred in the hit hip-hop musical drama ‘Empire’ on Fox. Naomi Campbell appeared in so many top major campaigns, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, and many more. You also can’t forget her fierce runway walk. Despite her many accolades, it’s surprising to note that Naomi got her first major cosmetics campaign with NARS in 2018.
You might remember that Tyra Banks was the first Black model to land a solo Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue cover in 1997. But did you know that in that same year, she also was the first African-American woman to cover the Victoria’s Secret Catalogue and GQ magazine? In 2019, she returned as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover star showing off a fuller figure and looking fabulous.
Since her modeling days, Tyra has become known for producing and hosting ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ which has several successful spin-offs worldwide. This former Victoria’s Secret Angel now hosts Dancing With the Stars.
Alek Wek is a South Sudanese model most well-known for defying beauty standards in the fashion industry. Beginning her modeling career at 18, Alek stood out for being dark-skinned, having African features, and a shaved hairstyle. Many look up to Wek for showing a different kind of beauty that does not conform to Caucasian standards as a black woman.
In 1997, Wek appeared on the November cover of ELLE, making her the first African model to appear on the publication. Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o has called Wek one of her inspirations growing up. Notable brands the model has walked for on international runways include Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino.
British model Jourdan Dunn was the first black model to walk Prada in over a decade in 2008. In 2014, Dunn was signed as a face of beauty brand Maybelline New York. In addition, she was the first black woman model to land a solo cover for Vogue UK in over 12 years for the magazine’s February 2015 issue. She also walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on multiple occasions.
The English model has also been very vocal about discrimination in the modeling industry. This includes casting directors who only cast one black girl per show or even makeup artists who refuse to do models’ makeup just based on their darker skin tones. Dunn’s place in the modeling world has proven that the need for diversity is important. Despite all this, she owned New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and Milan Fashion Week.
Simone Thompson, also known by the name Slick Woods is presently one of the most recognizable black models in the industry. The 25-year-old model from Los Angeles, California, has a unique beauty, which catches the eye. Her natural looks are only made more noticeable by the distinct style that sets her out from the crowd. Her shaved head and bold tattoos emanate confidence.
Slick Woods can boast an impressive career. Discovered by Ash Stymest, she immediately blew up and proceeded to become a face for major projects and labels such as Yeezy, Moschino, Calvin Klein, and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty. The African-American model has been featured in top fashion magazines like the American, Italian and Japanese editions of Vogue as well as Dazed and Glamour , to mention a few. Slick has also made ventures into the film world, debuting in the 2020 film Goldie , earning praise for her performance.
Adut Akech Bior is an Australian model with South Sudanese roots. Debuting on the runway in a humble local fashion show put on by her aunt, Adut quickly made waves in the industry. After walking Melbourne Fashion Week, she took
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