Naomi Campbell hasn't slowed down as many remain in their homes amid the coronavirus. She's chatted with the likes of Serena and Venus Williams and YouTube beauty star Jackie Aina on her online series "No Filter with Naomi" and now, ahead of her 50th birthday, she made history with Essence magazine.
The supermodel graced the cover of the publication's 50th-anniversary issue and she played a major role in how the images came to be.
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Campbell shot the photos for the May/June issue on her own using an iPhone. The model, who formerly appeared as a judge on the U.K. competition series “The Face,” wasn’t completely alone, however. She utilized FaceTime to collaborate virtually with the magazine’s Chief Content and Creative Officer MoAna Luu. Still, Campbell styled and snapped the photos herself — making it the first time she’s taken her own photo for a cover.
"It was a very special honor and unusual experience for me to be able to shoot and style my own cover for Essence' 50th Anniversary Issue," Campbell said in a statement to the publication. "While it was a sad reminder for me of all the people in media and production who are not able to work due to the coronavirus, it also brought me hope and encouragement to know that our people and our infrastructures are resilient."
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Campbell’s photos show the star in isolation at home. On the cover, the model relaxes on the stairs. Outside, she posed against the fence and on her patio.
The model was also responsible for her hair and makeup.
"We couldn't send a team so, she had to do her hair, her makeup and her styling herself," Luu said. "We were on late night calls trying to figure out how she was going to do the shoot with her phone in her hand. Then, we had to do a re-shoot because the photos didn't come out how we imagined. So, there were technical challenges, there were human challenges; but Naomi did it all without asking any questions, she never quit."
The resulting images have led to online acclaim.
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