‘Tis the year to celebrate Naomi Campbell.
The party began as the supermodel rang in her 40th birthday with a massive party in Cannes organized by her Russian boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin, along with guests like Eva Herzigova, Stefano Gabbana, Domenico Dolce, Sir Philip Green, Jennifer Lopez, and Marc Anthony. But the festivities don’t end there.
In addition to a major milestone in her life, Naomi also accomplished a huge achievement in her career - 25 years in the modeling industry. The men of Dolce & Gabbana threw her two separate parties in New York during Fashion’s Night Out and in Milan during Fashion Week.
Now, the October 2010 issue of Interview is heralding the supermodel in their own way, by decorating their cover with an iconic shot of Naomi, paired with an inside editorial and Q&A with gallerist Tony Shafrazi. In what equates to a brilliant selection of commentary from Naomi, the article touches on a variety of subjects: her memories over the years, her relationship with Nelson Mandela, and her undeniable charitable efforts.On her attitude towards work:
“I was always told a long time ago by a mutual friend of ours, Bob [De Niro], to avoid being famous just for being famous. That’s something that has always stuck in my mind. I like to work. It helps if you like what you do. I understand when people complain about their work—they do what they do so they can make a living and take care of their families. So I am grateful to be doing something that I like. I also got to be around the group of beautiful women I came into this business with—Linda [Evangelista], Christy [Turlington], Cindy [Crawford], Tatjana [Patitz], Stephanie [Seymour], Claudia [Schiffer], and Helena [Christensen].
On growing up in the age of the supermodel:
“You know, none of us ever cared about this word supermodel. It was just a kind of terminology that the press came up with for whatever reason. But what we did like was being together. We were very supportive of one another, my group of girls, and I don’t think that happens so much nowadays. We were all doing shows in each country, working nonstop, but it didn’t matter, because we enjoyed being together. We would all have our rooms next to one another—it was like a dorm on tour. Even if we were always in fittings until one or two o’clock in the morning, we didn’t care, because we felt like we were part of something. We used to shoot all night in Paris—couture with Patrick Demarchelier. There’s only one of each couture dress, and they have to go around to every magazine, so we’d be waiting—sometimes for hours—for a dress to arrive. But as long as we had good music, nobody said they were tired. Nobody cared. So I’m happy that I got to be around such a great group of ladies. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work. But it was also a lot of fun—and I didn’t feel alone. Those ladies still look amazing today. Time has gone by, but they still look amazing.”
On the support from Christy and Linda:
“Christy had said to me, “You know, why don’t you come and be my roommate?” I went back home and moved to New York later that year to live with Christy. We lived downtown, in SoHo. Honestly, for me it was a blessing to have a friend like Christy. I was so indebted to her for so many things. You know, when I was younger there were certain designers who hadn’t used models of color in their shows, and Christy and Linda said to them, “If you don’t take Naomi, then you don’t get us.” My friends and comrades stuck up for me—and that doesn’t happen in fashion. I will never forget that. I don’t forget what people do. No matter how many years go by, I always remember.”
