Top 10 Naomi Campbell looks

Autumn/Winter 1989

This dramatic ensemble from Thierry Mugler's Roulé Comme une Buick (Drive Like a Buick) collection, designed in collaboration with Jean-Jacques Urcun, is undoubtedly one of the most memorable looks Campbell wore for the designer on the catwalk.

Campbell credits Mugler with playing an instrumental role in establishing the 'supermodels' or 'supers' – a select group of models who reached celebrity status and international fame in the 1990s:

Made from coloured plastic and acrylic, the corset resembles the hood of a car, complete with red headlights and a metal grille. Paired with a sparkling sequinned skirt, Campbell was later photographed wearing this look alongside Mugler for a spread in Vogue Italia, shot by Steven Meisel.

Spring/Summer 1991

In New York, an 18-year-old Campbell first met Gianni Versace – a designer that she went on to work with for many years.

Versace was a key designer in the genesis of the 1990s 'supermodels'. The establishment of their star status was underpinned by a series of pivotal pop culture moments – the first being the January 1990 cover of British Vogue.

Tasked with photographing the new woman of the 1990s, photographer Peter Lindbergh noted how the definition of beauty had broadened and decided to capture not one, but five models: Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Christy Turlington.

When singer George Michael cast these same models to lip-sync in the music video for his single Freedom! 90, Versace cast Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista in his Autumn/Winter 1991 catwalk presentation where, for the finale, he had the models stride out arm-in-arm to Michael's track. It was from these events that the 'supermodel' was born.

Autumn/Winter 1991

In her first summer working in Paris, a young Campbell had her traveller's cheques stolen. Whilst deciding what to do, she accompanied fellow model Amanda Caseley to a fitting with Azzedine Alaïa, who then offered to have her stay with him, his partner and his dogs, calling Campbell's mother for permission.

This was the beginning of a wonderful personal and professional friendship and the two soon began working together. Alaïa felt that Campbell had the perfect sculptural body, and Campbell deeply respected his craft. She served as the designer's fit model, staying up late into the night as he worked pinning fabric.

Campbell's personal wardrobe is filled with pieces by Alaïa, including multiple leopard-print looks from his Autumn/Winter 1991 collection. Immortalised in a photograph taken by Herb Ritts in 1991 is a bodysuit ensemble from the same collection.

Autumn/Winter 1993

Campbell unintentionally made fashion history in 1993 when – smiling – she fell on the runway wearing Vivienne Westwood's staggeringly high blue platforms. Westwood had released the style, known as the Super Elevated Gillie platforms in 1990, and by 1993 the heel height had increased to over 21cm. Despite this, Campbell later remarked that it was the sticking together of the rubber stockings that the shoes were paired with which caused the fall on the runway.

The media frenzy around the moment was so intense that Campbell recalls other designers asking her to fall during their shows soon afterwards, which she refused. The original shoes, with the model's name written inside in blue biro, were acquired by the V&A in the same year.

Spring/Summer 1997

As close friends, Campbell was a natural choice to walk in Alexander McQueen's first presentation for Givenchy in January 1997. He styled her in a strapless, silk-satin gold dress, paired with a dramatic ram's horn headpiece made by milliner Philip Treacy. It directly referenced McQueen's inspiration for the collection – the Greek myth of the Golden Fleece, in which Jason and the Argonauts searched for the fleece of a gold-haired, winged ram.

Pre-collection Autumn/Winter 2019

Campbell selected this glittering gown to receive the prestigious Fashion Icon Award from the British Fashion Council in December 2019. The award recognised Campbell's work as an activist and advocate for equity in the fashion industry.

The gown was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and is heavily embellished with silver beads and crystals in a trailing floral pattern. Burton took over as the creative director at McQueen in May 2010 following the death of its founder, Lee Alexander. McQueen designs have long been a favourite of Campbell's and she often chooses to wear the label for important occasions.

Custom, 2019, Italy

The Met Gala – an annual fundraiser held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art – has become one of the most important evenings in the fashion calendar. Campbell first attended the event in 1990 wearing a stunning Versace mini-dress, and has continued to make her mark.

Her 2019 outfit, designed by Pierpaolo Piccioli for Valentino, was created in response to the Met's exhibition Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion. Comprised of an effusion of pink lace, chiffon and ostrich feathers, the design itself had been almost entirely re-made by Piccioli the day before the Gala in response to feedback from Campbell during the fitting:

Autumn/Winter 2020

A strong advocate and champion of African creatives, Campbell's work over the past decade has been been increasingly focused on supporting and celebrating African designers.

Campbell's work has many strands, a key one being ARISE Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria, which she has been involved with since 2018. Here she met Kenneth Ize, in 2019, who made his Paris Fashion Week debut the following year, crediting Campbell with helping him to secure a spot in the coveted schedule:

Campbell closed the show wearing a sleek tailored coat made from aṣọ-òkè – a hand-woven textile traditionally produced by the Yoruba in south-western Nigeria. Loosely translated as 'cloth from above' or 'cloth from the hill', the term alludes to a revered past and the elevated status of the cloth.

Spring/Summer 2024

Recent Central Saint Martins graduate Torishéju Dumi was introduced to Campbell by fashion editor and stylist, Gabrielle Karefa-Johnson. Dumi's debut at Paris Fashion Week started with a bang when Campbell strode onto the runway wearing a black merino ensemble with 'horn' shoulders – a signature of the collection, called Fire on the Mountain. While the collection was independently a critical success, Campbell's endorsement was important in highlighting the work of the emerging designer in the noisy landscape of fashion week.

2001

At the peak of the supermodel era in the 1990s, Campbell developed an unexpected friendship with South African president Nelson Mandela. The pair met in 1994 when she was in South Africa judging a Miss World beauty contest, and began a 20-year friendship with Mandela who christened her as his 'honorary granddaughter'.

Campbell credits Mandela with introducing her to philanthropy:

Naomi has regularly worked in support of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and they were often spotted together at fundraisers and events.