In 1975, an American photographer approached a young Somali woman on the street in Nairobi and asked to take her picture. She agreed, on condition that he pay her university fees. That was the start of Iman’s career.
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid was born in Mogadishu in 1955. Her father was a diplomat and her mother a gynaecologist. She grew up in Somalia and abroad, spoke several languages and was studying political science at the University of Nairobi when the photographer Peter Beard spotted her.
New York
Beard brought her to New York in 1975, where her arrival was accompanied by exaggerated stories about her origins, which she later criticised. She quickly became one of the most sought-after models in the world, known for her long neck, elegance and intelligence.
She worked with the leading designers and photographers of the era, including Yves Saint Laurent, who called her his dream woman. She also walked for Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein and other leading designers.
Breaking barriers
At a time when Black models were rare in high fashion, Iman insisted on being paid the same as white models, and she spoke openly about racism in the industry. She helped open doors for later generations of Black models.
Iman Cosmetics
After retiring from modelling in the late 1980s, Iman founded Iman Cosmetics in 1994, creating makeup for women of colour whose skin tones were ignored by many mainstream brands. The company became a successful business and a pioneer in the market.
David Bowie
Iman met the singer David Bowie in 1990. They married in 1992, in a civil ceremony in Switzerland followed by a church wedding in Florence. Their daughter, Alexandria, was born in 2000. The couple lived mainly in New York and kept much of their family life private.
Bowie died in January 2016. Iman has said she will not remarry and continues to speak of him as the love of her life.
Somalia
Iman has campaigned for humanitarian causes in Somalia and Africa, including work with charities on famine relief and children’s health.
Legacy
She was one of the first global supermodels from Africa, and her business showed that the beauty industry had ignored a huge market.
She asked a photographer to pay her university fees. She ended up changing an industry instead of finishing that degree.
