Models · 015
Iman
Life & Career
- Born
- 1955-07-25
- Nationality
- Somali-American
Origins
Born in Mogadishu on July 25, 1955, Iman received an international education and studied political science in Nairobi. This differs from exoticized discovery myths circulated in fashion.[1][2]
Entry into fashion
Peter Beard’s 1975 photographs led to New York; her official biography dates her Vogue debut to 1976. She developed a professional identity beyond the industry’s exoticized framing.[1][2]
Creative partnership
Her collaborators included Saint Laurent and Halston, and photographers Penn, Avedon, Newton and Leibovitz. The official biography records a principal modeling career spanning about fourteen years. Adapting to these different photographic languages gave practical substance to her status as a fashion figure. Elaborate clothes, restrained portraits, advertising and runway work each required a different interpretation.[2]
Defining work
Difficulty finding suitable makeup became a business insight. What later became known as inclusive beauty began as a practical question about which complexions the industry served.[2][3]
Changing direction
IMAN Cosmetics launched in 1994 for women with skin of color across ethnic backgrounds. Building products and distribution moved her from advertising others’ goods to shaping her own business. The inclusive principle had to become actual shades, products and distribution choices. That work gave her authority over the product and its message as well as over the image used to promote it.[1][2][3]
Later career
Her books I Am Iman and The Beauty of Color accompanied screen work and advocacy. amfAR documents support for HIV/AIDS causes and women and children.[4][5]
Legacy
Later documentation includes Love Memoir fragrance and a 2024 Harper’s Bazaar Arabia cover. Selective image work and enterprise continued beyond her principal runway career.[2][3] Official, publisher and nonprofit records substantiate different parts of her work and should be read together.
