Naomi Campbell goes topless for magazine shoot, talks about importance of representation in fashion

Naomi Campbell is on the cover of the i-D magazine and is talking about being a person of colour and representation in the fashion industry. 

As one of the cover stars for the magazine's Spring issue, the model, 50, discussed the opportunity to be part of a shoot with other "young creatives that are all my skin color." Campbell, who posed topless for the magazine cover, revealed that even after so many years in the industry, it is "rare" for her to work with photographers of colour.

"It's very rare that this has happened to me. Luis [Alberto Rodriguez] is the third photographer of color I've worked with in my whole career in fashion," she told the magazine.

"It was just very real, very organic," she said of the shoot. "And I felt proud, humbled and happy to be part of a shoot with young creatives that are all my skin color, and that I'm getting to work with them after so many years of being in fashion industry."

 

The icon also opened up about the experience of shooting at her home in Kenya. "When you see these images, I hope you see that Kenya is beautiful, that Africa is beautiful," she said. "I think people now are going to really open their minds and start to understand that real beauty is in Africa.

"There are so many gems, so many hidden secrets. I've been coming here since 1994 and I'm still discovering things," she added.
 

Campbell has previously opened up about racial disparities in the modeling industry on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. In July she addressed Anna Wintour's statement to the staff at Vogue, amid the Black Lives Matter movement, about the publication's failure to elevate diverse voices.

Campbell said that she is looking forward to the change happening in the fashion industry. "I think things are about to change, don't you?" she asked. "Things are about to change."

"Everyone used to think that you liked being the token Black person in the room," Campbell added of her own experience. "It's absolutely the opposite. I never did."

"It needs to change from the board room to the seat. It needs to go right from the top through," she added. "I've been saying this for years, and so I'm truly grateful and happy finally this is happening."