When I first got Yves Saint Laurent Couture, I didn't know how to take off a cape. I would ask Katoucha and Dalma - the real divas of the runway - 'Can you show me?' I've never been afraid to ask for help.
Naomi CampbellRead
Patrick Demarchelier was the one who got me my first Vogue cover. It was French Vogue - I think in ’87 or ’88. I think I was the first black model to be on the cover of French Vogue, which was shocking to me because when I asked them about it, they were like, "Oh, no. We’ve never had that before."
Interpretation
Naomi Campbell reflects on her groundbreaking achievement as the first black model on the cover of French Vogue.
In this quote, Naomi Campbell expresses her surprise and the significance of being the first black model featured on the cover of French Vogue during the late 1980s. It highlights the cultural and industry milestones related to representation and diversity in fashion, and serves as a reminder of the ongoing need for inclusivity in media.
In practice
In a speech about diversity in media, one might quote Naomi Campbell: 'I think I was the first black model to be on the cover of French Vogue.'
When I first got Yves Saint Laurent Couture, I didn't know how to take off a cape. I would ask Katoucha and Dalma - the real divas of the runway - 'Can you show me?' I've never been afraid to ask for help.
I feel very responsible for young models of colour. They come to me and tell me they're not getting jobs, and I do what I can to speak up for them.
I’ve been offered jobs by companies that supported apartheid many times in the 25 years of my modeling career, but I have never taken one of them. I have to refuse that money, because I’m not going to work against my people. They’ve suffered enough.
Basic clothes are for all women, to last for decades and decades. They are the future and will never change. I am persuaded of that.
The way I looked when I started modelling - I was a skinny schoolgirl, stuffing tissues into my little 32A bra. I wasn't trying to be that thin; I was perfectly healthy, but still - that look is a total impossibility for women over the age of 20. Fashion has a lot to answer for, doesn't it?
I'm never massively concerned about what somebody is wearing, as long as it makes them feel really good about themselves.
Whoever's designing for plus-size doesn't get it. The entire garment needs to be reconceived. You can't just take a size 8 and make it larger.
Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.
There shouldn't be a segregation of women over a size 16, it should just be all women who want to wear beautiful clothes.
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