Written by Irenosen Iseghohi-Okojie
Thursday, 07 May 2009 00:00
Icon, supermodel, entrepreneur, mother, actress, humanitarian. These are just a few of the roles that Iman has played during her magnificent life. Seven caught up with the ultimate supermodel to discuss what it's like to be a phenomenon.
“I am the face of a refugee.”
These are not the words of an unknown asylum seeker whose perilous plight may or may not get picked up by the media outlets, but Iman, one of the greatest supermodels ever. Being a refugee was the single, momentous occasion that changed her life, in 1972 when her family fled Somalia and entered the Kenyan border on foot with nothing but the clothes on their back. Icon, supermodel, entrepreneur, mother, actress, humanitarian. Her white orchid-scented story reads like the stuff sweet dreams are made of. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the phenomenon that she is.
The Late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent said: “My dream woman is Iman.”
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid was born in 1955 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The daughter of a former Somali ambassador to Saudi Arabia, she is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, French, English and Italian. She studied political science at the University of Nairobi. In 1975, when she was discovered by American photographer Peter Beard, the media had a field day. I asked her about those early days and if she harbours any resentment at the media’s gleeful, patronising, calculated, exotification of her, portraying her as a goat herder plucked from obscurity when she was an intelligent young woman with options and opportunities. She’s refreshingly candid. “First I felt insulted as Peter Beard planted this story before my arrival, but I have to take some responsibility here and say I was an accomplice. Although I told the press the true story, they still published the fabricated one.”
She went on to model for some of the world’s most prolific fashion houses and there is no underestimating the impact of her achievements. As the world’s first black supermodel, it is partly due to Iman and models like the brilliant, strikingly androgynous Grace Jones that spawned the arrival of Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek, Tyra Banks, Oluchi Onweagba, Arlenis Sosa, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman. Young black women lived vicariously through her images because so rarely were there representations of black beauty in the public eye. She is endearingly humble about the role model tag, but essentially, that’s what she is and not just for black women.
We talk about the fashion world’s pass-the-buck mentality on the inclusion of more models of colour that run the multicultural gamut and the racist myth that using black women is the industry equivalent of catching the bubonic plague, an excuse that has been obliterated into smidgens by Michelle Obama. Recently, the watershed Italian black Vogue edition encouraged more dialogue on this debate. “I would like to give credit to my dear friend former model Bethan Hardison who started this movement. I think everybody is responsible, including the consumer. In the 60s, people used to boycott to be heard. I’m happy that there is some change, but for how long? I hope that black models do not become a category but true humans,” Iman said.
In 1977, Iman married American basketball player Spencer Haywood with whom she has a daughter Zulekha, 31. But it is her marriage to British musician and legend David Bowie that brought her unexpected happiness. They met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend and haven’t looked back since. Their 9-year-old daughter Zahra Lexi Jones continues to be a testament to that. She talks lovingly of David and his involvement in the Jenna 6 trial, a racially inflammatory case that seemed to have moved him deeply to donate funds and brought the case to the public’s attention even more. “I have to say, it was surreal seeing what was going on and there was limited involvement from African American celebrities. David is very involved in a lot of issues; he just chooses to do so quietly. It was simply this can’t happen on our watch,” Iman said.
After retiring from modelling in 1992, business savvy Iman cannily launched Iman cosmetics and skin care line. She recognised the potential of a globally huge market in cosmetics for women of colour. And the catalyst for it? “My first photo shoots for Vogue. The makeup artist asked me if I had my own foundation because he didn’t have anything for African American skin. From that point, I always mixed and tested my own foundation. I couldn’t stand to look grey! Women frequently asked me which brand of foundation I wore as if I knew a secret recipe. When I started the cosmetics line, I wanted to be the black Estee Lauder; I wanted to be big.”
And big it was, stratospheric, surpassing all expectations. It is a multimillion dollar business that includes hair care and body products. She has since launched her line of handbags and cosmetics, IMAN Global Chic. Now that world domination has been ticked off her list, I asked if she’s involved in any projects in her native Somalia. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been to Somalia since 1994; I did a BBC documentary on the famine there in 1992. The situation is not safe, no government and complete utter chaos. I do keep an eye on the political process there, but every time I think that finally something is going to be permanent and safe, something happens to bring the chaos back.”
At 53, the African stunner still retains her goddess-like exquisite beauty, looking better than most in their 20s. But she has her feet planted firmly on the ground after having her share of parties and raucous behaviour in her early career; she knows where to draw the line. Now, motherhood is still exhilarating and scary; she sees herself as a great homemaker and likes to cook for her family almost every night.
She still speaks Somali fluently; she hasn’t forgotten that part of who she is. She also likes to needlepoint. So delightful is this idea to me, that bizarrely, I picture her on an evening in, barefoot and dressed in a gold Azzedine Alaia gown needle pointing. So what’s left for Iman to do? When you’ve changed the face of fashion, catered to the beauty needs of women of colour who were shamefully ignored and excluded for decades and cleverly created a business empire in the process, how do you set new challenges for yourself? Her response is so honest, simple and lacking any pretension it’s genius. “Actually, it happens organically, I have no plan… But something always reveals itself.”
See the full interview with Iman >>>
For more information about Iman and her latest products, visit the Iman Cosmetics website: www.imancosmetics.com/
Friday 30 July 2010
