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.
Naomi CampbellRead
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.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the importance of seeking help and learning from others, regardless of one's status or experience.
Naomi Campbell reflects on her early experiences in the fashion industry, emphasizing that even as a well-known model, she was not hesitant to ask for assistance from others who were more experienced. This humility and willingness to learn demonstrate that no one is above asking for help, and that collaboration and learning from others are crucial aspects of growth and success.
In practice
In a motivational speech about teamwork during a fashion event.
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.
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."
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.
All it takes are a few simple outfits. And there's one secret - The Simpler The Better
It is always better to be slightly underdressed.
In Italy they take cheap cloth and make it look expensive, but I take expensive cloth and make it look cheap. They just don't understand.
What I think I sell with my clothes is confidence, so hopefully all my dresses, my accessories, are friends to the women. When you open the closet, and your eyes are swollen, and you don't like the way you look, you go to your friends.
There's never a new fashion but it's old.
For women raised in the '70s, high heels can still carry a stigma; they're associated with being stupid, with just wanting to please a man. Other women find them empowering.
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