British supermodel Naomi Campbell, the recently announced face of Yves Saint Laurent’s (YSL) legendary fashion house, paid tribute to the late Yves Saint Laurent’s trailblazing efforts in the fashion industry on behalf of black models.
Naomi has paid tribute to legendary fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent following his death, aged 71, on Sunday evening.
Campbell, who has always been outspoken about race issues in fashion, credits Saint Laurent with her success in the fashion industry.
“My first Vogue cover ever was because of this man,” the supermodel told Channel 4 News. “Because when I said to him ‘Yves, they won’t give me a French Vogue cover, they won’t put a black girl on the cover’ and he was like ‘I’ll take care of that,’ and he did.”
In a show of solidarity with the eponymous fashion house the designer founded in 1962, Campbell wore a YSL autumn/winter 2008-9 creation – designed by the house’s now-creative director Stefano Pilati – to the CFDA Awards in New York yesterday evening.
“He was the king of fashion,” Campbell added in the interview. “He created pret-a-porter, he was the first designer to put women of colour on the runway. He was extremely important in my career, giving me one of my first jobs.”
“He has done everything. He’s done it. If you go to the museum you will see he has done it all. He has done so much for people of colour.”
Source: Campbell’s YSL Tribute
Just a few days ago, the announcement was made that Naomi Campbell is replacing Kate Moss as the face of YSL.
The British beauty has signed a $400,000 (GBP200,000) deal with the French designer and will front the company’s autumn/winter 2008 campaign.
She says, “I’m blessed and grateful to be working with YSL again, a house that gave me a start in my career.”
Her first project for Yves Saint Laurent was in the 1990s when she was a fledgling star.
Source: Naomi Campbell Returns To YSL
Photo: Naomi Campbell at the 2008 CFDA Fashion Awards at the New York Public Library New York City on June 2, 2008.
Naomi Campbell Pays Tribute to Yves Saint Laurent
12:24 am on June 5th, 2008 1
[...] British supermodel Naomi Campbell, the recently announced face of Yves Saint Laurent’s (YSL) legendary fashion house, paid tribute to the late Yves Saint Laurent’s trailblazing efforts in the fashion industry on behalf of black models. … Source: Naomi Campbell Pays Tribute to Yves Saint Laurent [...]