Almost no one is as synonymous with high fashion and luxury as Naomi Campbell. Not only is she a reigning supermodel having walked for every major designer since her teens, she has also earned rare place in the fashion ecosystem as one of the most sought after faces for the world’s biggest campaigns — no easy feat for a model in their 50s. (Love that for her.)
As both a fashion and pop culture icon, her off-the-runway diva persona did little to wane her popularity. Au contraire, her viral “Don’t Compare Yourself to Me” rant is a baddie mantra and her early aughts court case involving her slapping and hurling a Blackberry at an assistant barely tarnished her image. The incident actually inspired the incredibly collectible “Naomi Slapped Me and I Loved It" tees. Naomi even wore one, so that should tell ya how seriously she took the allegations.
Naomi’s latest venture is a questionable one to put it kindly. Teased via Twitter, UK-based Pretty Little Thing posted a simple director's chair with the caption, “Pretty Little Thing designed by Naomi Campbell coming soon.”
Girl, what?
Critics were quick to wonder why someone with so much proximity to fashion with a capital F would succumb to a fast fashion collab, particularly with PLT. Naomi’s collection may mark the retailer’s first official collaboration in terms of design, previous partnerships were labeled as “edits,” where influencers like Alabama Barker, Lori Harvey, and Jayda Cheaves curate a collection of existing items inspired by their personal style. (Maybe the allure of being the *first* caught her attention? Or maybe the check was checkkking?)
As expected, the announcement ignited the conversation around fast fashion’s environmental impact. According to the UN Environment Programme, the fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and “responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.”
Will Naomi’s collection silence the haters? Will it be so good that we forget about the fast fashion element in a very Mugler x H&M kinda way? Stay tuned for more deets and campaign imagery.