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IMAN Talks Black Excellence In Fashion, 'SUPREME MODELS' Docu-Series & Life with DAVID BOWIE
Sep 29, 2022
The supermodel, Iman, executive produced the new YouTube docu-series Supreme Models based on Marcellas Reynolds' book. She stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about the series and what it was like coming up as a black model.
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IMAN Talks Black Excellence In Fashion, 'SUPREME MODELS' Docu-Series & Life with DAVID BOWIE
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0:00
wow
0:01
Where Do We Begin wow geez let's get it
0:05
together right now
0:07
I literally thought about what I was
0:09
gonna wear today
0:10
and I went out and bought something that
0:12
just didn't fit in the morning it fit
0:15
last night in the dressing room but when
0:17
I put it on this morning I said I can't
0:19
put this on in front of Iman tell Iman
0:21
why it didn't fit tell her what you had
0:23
for dinner last night
0:24
why'd you do that
0:27
what are you talking about the three
0:29
tacos I had three tacos last night but
0:31
they were vegan tacos and the whole
0:33
night I'm sitting there speaking about
0:34
this beautiful
0:36
this beautiful entity of a person you
0:39
know that has joined us this morning I
0:41
remember growing up as a kid in the 70s
0:44
and I remember seeing her picture Grace
0:46
magazine covers and going wow who is
0:50
this look how amazing this person looks
0:54
right and
0:55
um and then following her I've never
0:57
thought I would have a an affinity for
1:00
supermodels but her story uh was so
1:03
powerful that she was somebody that that
1:05
gave my interest so I've learned that
1:07
supermodels don't just model you know
1:09
supermodels can also be activists
1:12
supermodels could be uh pillars and a
1:14
civil rights movements supermodels could
1:17
fight for equality which she did when it
1:19
came to pay equality for doing the same
1:21
kind of work that other models were
1:23
doing who have other ethnicities and so
1:25
you start finding out all of these
1:26
different layers and then she went and
1:29
married one of my favorite artists of
1:30
all time man but I try oh I try I try
1:36
[Laughter]
1:45
the show
1:47
thank you thank you now this is Black
1:50
Dog yeah
1:51
[Music]
1:52
that's that's what the whole what we're
1:56
doing is that yes we know the trial and
1:58
tribulations of especially just black
2:00
beauty yes yes but let's concentrate on
2:03
the joy and the celebration of them the
2:05
black Joy wow when you were raised Where
2:09
Were You Raised Somalia Somalia so you
2:12
were raised in Somalia was the was that
2:14
the kind of messaging that was like when
2:16
I was raised in East Oakland on
2:18
California with my my mother and and in
2:21
Oakland you know this black panthers
2:23
move into Civil Rights Movement came
2:24
through so we will always messaged about
2:27
black Joy black empowerment because we
2:30
were in the United States you know what
2:32
I mean you had to put that extra on it
2:34
what was it like for you in Somalia it
2:37
was the same actually not necessarily in
2:39
Somalia but in my household okay uh my
2:42
father was a diplomat uh so and I was my
2:45
father's daughter I wanted to follow his
2:47
footsteps so I was majoring in political
2:49
science before I became a Model come on
2:52
but both my parents were activists and
2:54
were part and parcel of getting
2:56
somalia's Independence they were that
2:59
group so when I was growing up at home
3:01
they were always activists and people
3:03
going on their way to marches or coming
3:05
back from marches but we also were
3:07
taught about everything about about
3:09
what's happening in the United States in
3:11
terms of when it came to African
3:13
Americans did were they were they okay
3:15
with you as parents pursuing a modeling
3:17
career oh no okay no no no no no that's
3:21
what I wanted yeah uh you know to them
3:24
it was a 10 steps down you know because
3:28
I was majoring in political science I
3:31
was uh going to be part and parcel of
3:33
somalia's government you know uh so so
3:36
my whole life took a detour because we
3:39
became refugees overnight
3:41
um so we uh we we went and take refuge
3:45
in Kenya which is was next door we
3:47
literally crossed the border by foot
3:49
with only the clothes on our back and we
3:52
started all over again so I stayed in
3:55
Kenya and my parents and my brothers and
3:56
sisters went to Tanzania which is a
3:58
neighboring country because I was able
4:01
to go to Universe University of Nairobi
4:03
but there were a lot of uh uh
4:06
non-government organizations that really
4:09
took care of me because as a 16 year old
4:12
young girl anything could have happened
4:15
to me as a refugee and so they really
4:17
protected me and made sure that I was I
4:20
was in a safe place and they took me
4:22
from one place to the other you know
4:23
camps or homes when you said they took
4:25
you from one place yeah for me it was
4:27
not Camp my brothers and sisters was I
4:30
stayed in Kenya and then I just uh you
4:32
know they took me to homes yeah yeah wow
4:35
this was before she came to the
4:37
states to start blowing up wow Iman is
4:40
here let's have the B hi hello how are
4:43
you so happy that you're here today
4:44
thank you for just gracing us thank
4:46
thank you with your presence so then
4:48
everything that you share with us and I
4:50
know I don't want to jump or miss
4:52
anything but just in particular how did
4:54
your model in Korea then take off like
4:57
because I didn't know when I hear your
4:59
name when I see your name I think about
5:01
my mom's dresser being covered in your
5:04
products I think about the magazine
5:06
covers as sway mentioned I didn't even
5:08
know what you just shared so thank you
5:10
so how did you make it so big here so
5:13
what happened was that I was doing two
5:16
jobs uh although I was attending
5:18
University okay I was doing a job as a
5:21
waitress in one one of the best
5:23
restaurants somebody got me the job and
5:26
also I speak five languages and one of
5:29
them is Italian oh wow so um so they
5:32
found they found a child
5:36
[Music]
5:37
and so they found a job for me to
5:40
translate the brochures from the
5:41
minister of tourism in Kenya you know
5:44
for safaris they had it only in English
5:46
and they needed a translator to
5:48
translate Italian so that was my second
5:50
job and then one day from one job to the
5:53
other I was walking down the street and
5:55
a photographer by the name peterbeard
5:56
who's a white photographer uh but but in
6:00
the meantime I've never seen fashion
6:01
magazines wore heels or makeup in my
6:03
life before so he stopped me in the
6:05
street and you know started talking to
6:07
me have you ever been photographed and I
6:09
thought here we go white people thinking
6:11
Africans we've never seen a camera
6:14
and I said yeah and he said who and I
6:18
said my parents and he said no
6:22
professionally and all I could think of
6:23
was my brother's uh playboys and I said
6:26
I'm not that kind of girl
6:29
damn yeah exactly that's what he
6:32
probably thought damn
6:33
but so he's then he said the the magic
6:37
word he said if you pose for me I'll pay
6:41
you
6:43
yes guys
6:45
because uh I had one year at the
6:47
University scholarship and I had to come
6:49
up with the money the second year so I
6:52
asked him he said well he said well how
6:54
much they want and the tuition for the
6:56
year was 8 000 and I asked for 8 000.
6:58
you got it really what wow you asked for
7:02
eight thousand eight thousand no
7:04
hesitation no hesitation that's how I
7:06
was broke know your worth yeah if it
7:09
doesn't serve you walk away from it
7:11
right so I thought he wants my pictures
7:14
yes right right yeah I want that 8K
7:17
otherwise I'll do the the other side
7:19
jobs right you know so no he took the
7:22
pictures paid my tuition came to New
7:25
York he had it on some uh an invitation
7:27
for his photo gallery and an agency saw
7:30
it and they could and the rest what
7:33
changes he was it
7:34
um
7:36
the big ones wow so I read a story about
7:41
um
7:41
you taking your first job and then when
7:44
you start doing jobs for like companies
7:46
and advertisers you realize that black
7:48
women weren't being paid the same as
7:50
other models yeah and then you told your
7:54
agent
7:55
we got to fight for this what became of
7:57
that yeah no I simply said to her was
8:00
that uh when I found that the
8:02
discrepancy in Pay yeah I said to her um
8:06
so first of all that's a racist act you
8:08
know that yeah and she said yes and then
8:11
I said so let me put it to you in a
8:13
different way now mind you I'm barely 19
8:15
now and I said let me put it to you in a
8:19
different way what I want to be paid is
8:22
for services rendered
8:24
meaning
8:26
the same job the same pay so I'm not
8:30
even going to say oh if I'm gonna fight
8:32
for black or whatever but that you
8:34
understand right yeah it's the same job
8:36
yeah so that's how I put it and they
8:39
said well we'll we'll talk to the
8:41
clients and for three months nobody came
8:44
forward to do that and I sat it out and
8:47
then the first client came in to pay the
8:49
same amount and then it changed who was
8:52
that client do you recall yes Anne Klein
8:54
and Klein salute and climb yes very very
8:58
important yeah Iman I'm now wondering
9:00
there's been so many conversations
9:02
throughout the years when it comes to
9:04
Fashion Magazine covers about culture
9:06
appropriation you know I remember
9:08
sometimes seeing photo shoots where it'd
9:10
be one of the Jenners Kendall Jenner
9:14
wearing like having an afro you know
9:16
what I mean or Kim Kardashian and then
9:17
you'll have some folks maybe Vogel be
9:19
like you know a trend of braids is
9:21
coming in but it'll be Kim as like the
9:23
face of it yeah and obviously you have a
9:25
lot of people that are upset because why
9:27
is my culture being used as a costume
9:30
yes do you did you ever end up having
9:32
conversations around culture
9:33
appropriation it was all the time yeah
9:36
um but when for example in 1976 when I
9:40
started working the first thing beside
9:42
the the uh the discrepancy in Pay was
9:46
that they always post tokenism
9:50
there was one black model at a time so
9:54
they made you feel that you have to
9:56
Dethrone that sister for you to get
9:58
Space right and so I come from a
10:02
different mentality uh being a you know
10:06
you know from politics and majoring in
10:09
political science everything I did it
10:12
through that filter the politics of
10:14
beauty the politics of race and Beauty
10:16
right but at the same time I came from a
10:19
place that I I was never treated like
10:22
how they treated black African-American
10:24
models and I came from a place also that
10:28
I have never ever described myself
10:31
before I came to the United States as a
10:34
black person I come from a black country
10:36
yeah so there was no reason for us to
10:39
call ourselves black you know we we were
10:42
like somalis and we were we are Fierce
10:44
People yes this is the only African
10:47
black African country that had as one
10:50
language and one religion we made sure
10:53
of that that we had that Unity so I come
10:56
from that kind of a place so when I came
10:59
here where I did the first thing about
11:00
when I heard about the tokenism and how
11:02
they were playing pitching me against
11:04
Beverly Johnson who was the top model at
11:06
that time yeah
11:08
I became friends with her yes yes and so
11:13
they will go together to jobs right if
11:16
she couldn't do a job she'll say what
11:18
about Iman or I couldn't do it so all of
11:21
a sudden that door opened that there
11:23
will be more black models can be used at
11:26
the same time yeah right because you
11:29
know we're not a cookie cutter we don't
11:31
all look alike we're not only one but
11:34
also what they did with me is that they
11:36
would say to me in a whole wide room
11:39
they will say to me but but you're more
11:41
beautiful than them
11:43
who's them
11:45
you know what I mean so so they try to
11:48
instill that in you that you are better
11:50
because they need to have one person
11:52
right so and I always took that to an
11:56
offense and I've always said to them and
11:58
they would say they said like she and
12:00
the black community will say she looks
12:02
like a white woman dipped in chocolate I
12:05
took an offense to that because I I am a
12:08
Somali I have not a drop of blood of
12:13
white in me not one drop not a drop I'm
12:17
pure Somali there you go yeah so I
12:19
didn't want anybody to actually put me
12:21
into that language or any white person
12:24
to take any credit of how I look because
12:27
I have to whitened me I don't have
12:29
anyone
12:31
you better talk your shitty man well
12:34
let's be clear
12:36
all right all right don't take credit
12:38
for that
12:39
Iman it's such a pleasure to hear your
12:42
thought process and how you think I will
12:44
be remissified didn't say that I've been
12:46
in rooms with supermodels and yours
12:50
beauty is stunning I've never seen a
12:53
beauty like yours when you walked in the
12:55
door it was so effortless yeah but I
12:58
think that stems from the inside of you
13:00
hearing your story now the question that
13:02
I have though is just hearing it you are
13:05
not only fighting for black Americans
13:07
but you're also too fighting for the
13:09
representation of individuals from the
13:11
continent of Africa how did you maintain
13:14
your peace and your Constitution to
13:17
fight for both although you're being
13:20
ridiculed from multiple sides how did
13:22
you maintain that calm and still look at
13:24
the bigger picture that this benefits
13:26
all of us even if you don't see it uh
13:29
Grace Under Pressure uh and I have to
13:31
say one of my first and and still my
13:35
dearest and closest friend is Beth Anne
13:37
Hardison yes
13:41
shout outs and Miss Bethany and Hardison
13:44
yeah but I walked into a Stephen
13:48
Burroughs showroom
13:50
and I was shaking like a leaf it was
13:53
like maybe a week I was in the United
13:54
States and uh and everybody thought that
13:57
I didn't speak a word of English so and
13:59
I pretended that I didn't so I can hear
14:01
what people would say around me
14:03
so they gave me a dress I put the dress
14:06
on they gave me some heels I put one
14:08
shoe on and for the life of me I
14:10
couldn't put the other shoe on and Beth
14:12
Ann who was the assistant of Steven
14:14
Burris at that time got on her knees to
14:17
help me to help and the whole room was
14:20
like don't do that you'll think she's
14:21
above us or whatever she she didn't pay
14:24
them any attention but she looked up at
14:26
me and she said
14:27
you speak English don't you
14:31
and I said yes and to me that was the
14:35
most welcoming phase I saw and I held to
14:39
her for dear life since then amen and
14:42
she's the one who actually who's who's
14:45
been the activist if I have to say if
14:48
there is anyone in our group that it is
14:51
the leader of it is Beth Anne Hardison
14:54
and I don't want anybody ever to forget
14:56
her name there you go you don't even say
14:58
it in the hip-hop Community a lot of us
15:00
know her yeah
15:04
um I know you only have a few moments
15:06
but we're here to talk about you being
15:07
an executive producer in this upcoming
15:09
first ever documentary series called
15:11
super supreme models Supreme models is a
15:15
six-part docu-series that's available on
15:18
YouTube right now and in it um you
15:21
wanted to talk about the evolution of
15:23
top block top black model models in the
15:26
effect that the industry has had on them
15:28
uh yeah so it all came about that
15:30
YouTube and the the directors have
15:33
called me during covet and and said that
15:36
they would like me to be part of this
15:37
docky series that was based on a book by
15:40
Marcellus that's called Supreme models
15:42
and so and I said well what are you guys
15:44
bringing to the table that has not been
15:46
said about Black Beauty and black models
15:49
and they said well you're aware that
15:51
there have never been a documentary
15:52
about black models or Black Beauty which
15:54
I was not aware of right so then I said
15:58
well then come to me in and so and I
16:01
really what I wanted to do is that that
16:04
I wanted to make sure that all those
16:06
others that came before us not the ones
16:09
who are now here but they know your
16:10
missions then you're the Lunas you know
16:12
all those girls the girls who did all uh
16:15
the the Fashion Fair shows you know yes
16:18
everybody has to be a highlighter and
16:19
tell the story and also tell it through
16:21
a culture because black is beautiful the
16:23
that slogan has been around since the
16:26
60s so it is this is a cry that have
16:29
been going on for so many years and it's
16:32
part and parcel of the culture so I
16:34
wanted to make sure that it was done
16:35
historically but it's also done in their
16:38
own voices not uh somebody speaking for
16:41
a man not somebody saying oh Amanda I'd
16:44
rather me speak for myself and maybe the
16:46
other models speak for me rather than a
16:49
third party yeah so so so that's how
16:52
this all came about but one of the
16:54
things that again talking about bethan
16:56
Hardison is 2013 because I was very
16:58
surprised she contacted to me and she
17:00
said I'm going to send you an email I
17:02
want you to look at it and I opened it
17:04
and and it was a New York Times article
17:07
this is 2013. and uh and their article
17:11
title was the blonde leading the blonde
17:14
the blackout of the runways across
17:18
Europe and America meaning there was not
17:20
a single black model being used for the
17:22
past four years
17:25
wow and and I was shocked I was I was
17:28
out of the industry I retired from
17:30
modeling I was doing Iman cosmetics and
17:32
so I was not aware of what was going on
17:34
so Beth Ann was the one who put together
17:37
me and Naomi Campbell to join her so
17:40
that we could do this change and the
17:42
what was happening was that
17:44
uh you know but then will take me to the
17:46
side and say please don't say boycott
17:49
because she knows my first phrase out of
17:51
my mouth
17:52
[Laughter]
17:56
right so you know so we were
17:59
collectively the three of us went
18:00
through all the press and rolled to cfda
18:03
which is the Council of fashion
18:04
designers made sure that they understood
18:07
it the designers started complaining and
18:09
started to understand that there were
18:11
casting agents that they have hired that
18:14
they will say okay find us this is what
18:16
the collection is about you know cast
18:17
the models and these casting agents will
18:21
call the agencies and will say we're not
18:25
seeing black models this season as if we
18:28
were a trend to be disposed of right and
18:32
so and so that's what's happening and um
18:35
and we took it upon us the three of us
18:37
to actually highlight it and bring it
18:39
and it was not about calling them out or
18:43
canceling them out was actually calling
18:46
them in and making them understand first
18:48
I'm giving you the opportunity to know
18:51
what casting agents are saying on your
18:54
behalf
18:55
now if you're okay with that then I'm
18:57
gonna call you words but I just want you
19:00
to know that first so one one of the
19:02
designers a woman called Philo who did
19:06
Celine
19:07
Every Woman black white every age that I
19:11
know of coveted Celine bags you know it
19:14
was always you know weightless
19:16
weightless weightless and so it's filo
19:19
said am I going to be forced to use
19:22
she's never used black models so she
19:24
said am I going to be forced to use
19:26
black models I said no I mean there's
19:28
got to be the right black model for you
19:30
you know there can be no black model
19:33
that's not not right for you
19:35
and uh but just by she's saying that
19:39
yeah I said and I did this because I've
19:42
done it but I never said it you know
19:43
publicly I said for the action of she's
19:47
saying that she has to have the choice
19:49
not to use black models that's why I
19:51
have never bought a Celine bag oh
19:55
he has the right to her Runway and I
19:57
have a right to my pocketbook absolutely
19:59
so you want and I never owned a Celine
20:02
bag for that that's what I mean boy
20:03
boycott it's like there's lots of bags
20:06
that I can earn I don't need a Celine
20:08
bag especially if she feels nothing for
20:11
me yes yep so that's uh so the show is
20:14
about but again more than anything is
20:16
about the celebration and highlighting
20:18
these girls because she call here once a
20:21
month
20:31
it's available on YouTube YouTube okay
20:35
yeah congratulations oh yes I'll be
20:38
remiss I know you have to go
20:41
a big David Bowie fan oh thank you
20:44
I want to hug you you will
20:48
thank you I'm just curious uh well you
20:51
what can you share uh what do I want um
20:56
what did he say to you
20:58
to convince you or not convince you to
21:01
to
21:02
make you Allure you to dating him
21:04
initially uh first of all it was uh we
21:08
were set up as a blind date okay so I
21:10
didn't know he was going to be there and
21:13
it was supposed to be a dinner party uh
21:15
a birthday dinner party but it was
21:17
actually four people it was me and him
21:19
it was a setup okay uh we had a lot
21:22
income but I was a huge fan of his music
21:25
my first uh concert of his was 1976
21:29
Station to Station here in New York wow
21:31
yeah and so uh no he properly wooed me
21:35
yes right
21:37
romantic no to the point that if I went
21:40
to Paris came back and he said I'll pick
21:42
you up from the airport so I thought you
21:44
know like you know like he'll be in the
21:46
car and send his security guy no he was
21:48
standing in I came out of the plane he
21:50
was standing there people were taking
21:52
pictures of him really yeah
21:55
no he properly would would me we went to
21:59
he wanted to hear some new act so I went
22:03
with him and um and literally I was
22:06
going to the ladies room he had his
22:07
security guy with him no he took me to
22:10
the back waited outside the bathroom and
22:12
till I you know brought me out and back
22:14
you know no he properly moved me he did
22:16
it he properly with me and the best
22:18
thing was that we were walking down the
22:20
street and my shoelaces came and then
22:22
and he got on his knees yeah that was
22:25
that damn is right that's why I learned
22:28
from all of this get some tips
22:32
yeah they're wearing different kind of
22:34
shoes exactly exactly yeah no I know you
22:38
know he he his love of my life
22:41
absolutely he was I hope I was yes yes
22:44
I'm sure you are did you go in the
22:46
studio at all with him yes what songs
22:48
would I know that you saw him record uh
22:51
okay the whole last album of course okay
22:54
black star
22:56
um uh you know
22:57
um the um the next day okay well then
23:00
the whole next day he was there well you
23:02
were inspired did you was he inspired by
23:03
you with this one I mean listen
23:07
I I don't think he was he was not that
23:10
kind of a an artist yeah but he was very
23:12
aware of the world you know I I'm sure
23:15
you all saw him talking about um TV yeah
23:18
and people have asked me they said have
23:19
you inspired him I said listen first I
23:21
didn't know him then but he was an
23:23
enlightened man so he was very aware of
23:25
what was going in the world you know so
23:27
I have to tell you you know one of them
23:29
he knew that I was a huge fan of Naomi
23:31
Sims I don't know how he did it but he
23:34
managed to get the first copy number one
23:37
of Naomi Sims on the cover of Time
23:40
Magazine
23:42
and he's my one of my prized possessions
23:45
[Music]
23:51
level I'm definitely not that but I
23:55
ended up working for him TV uh for 20 21
23:59
years yes I wasn't a fan initially but I
24:03
did see what he spoke up to one of those
24:04
correspondents and said why don't you
24:06
play black music no sense and then
24:08
Michael Jackson became the first black
24:10
artist that they play a lot of that had
24:12
to do with David Bowie because he was so
24:14
powerful and he leveraged that power his
24:17
popularity his success to do something
24:19
good to do something that should have
24:22
been done yes right yeah and so I
24:24
commend always committed him for that
24:26
and I commend you and you know and
24:28
that's what really we want in our
24:30
business in our Industries is that
24:33
allyship don't give me the word you like
24:36
what I do and don't stand with me is the
24:39
allyship you have to have an ally say it
24:42
if you believe it say it if you think
24:44
that we're being treated wrong say it
24:46
yes if you have the power save Supreme
24:49
models on YouTube man yeah
24:56
[Applause]
25:05
we have nothing
25:07
left to say
25:10
[Music]
#Arts & Entertainment