BY: TRISTIN BROWN
Milan Fashion Week ends with a bang as Donatella Versace reunites 90s fashion icon, Naomi Campbell, with the Versace runway.
Joined by her runway colleagues Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen and Carla Bruni, Campbell reminds all fashion lovers that she is the real queen of the runaway.
It was a special night for fashion as Donatella Versace paid tribute to her brother, Gianni Versace, in honor of the 20th anniversary of his death. Campbell, dressed in a gold gown, reminded the new models how to slay the runway the OG way.
Campbell, being one there first five original supermodels, continuously works to break down race barriers in the fashion industry. She was the first Black model to be featured in Time magazine, and the first Black woman to grace the covers of French and British Vogue. She's showcased designs from top designers such as Chanel, Versace and Christian Dior.
Although not currently in the limelight next to the "it-girl" models of today like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, Campbell continues to speak out about the lack of diversity in the fashion world.
"There is still an issue of ignorance in our fashion world… I don't even like to use the word racism — [they're] ignorant. They just don't want to budge. They just don't want to change their idea or be more open-minded, to just [book] a beautiful girl regardless of creed or color," Campbell said in an interview with photographer Nick Knight.
Naomi Campbell recognizes that high fashion still has a diversity issue, and after more than 20 years in the industry, she's still pushing for equal representation.
One of the ways Campbell is doing this is by mentoring new Black models, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls and Malaika Firth.
"It's hard for black girls," said Dunn in an interview with Dazed magazine. "A lot do give up, because if you don't have an agency who is going to push you, you are just there doing nothing and having to deal with all the rejection."
In 2015 Dunn and Campbell became the first Black women to star in a Burberry campaign.
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