Iman (model)

• 1. Introduction

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  On the 7th of June 2010, the Somali-American model and actress Iman accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The prize was called Fashion Icon, and it is reserved for "an individual whose signature style has had a profound influence on fashion". Iman asked her friend Isabella Rossellini, an actress and former model, to present it. She walked up in a Giambattista Valli gown, wearing four giant diamond bracelets on each arm. Her thanks went first to her parents, "for giving me a neck longer than any other girl on any go see anywhere in the world". The line was a joke, but it raises a real question. How does a girl born under another name in Mogadiscio end up described as a muse by the great designers of her era? And what does a person do with that kind of fame once she has it?

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• 2. A Name Meaning Faith

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  Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid was born in Mogadiscio on the 25th of July 1955 and raised as a Muslim. Her grandfather later pushed for a new name, Iman, which means "faith" in Arabic. He believed a girl with a masculine name would "prosper".

  Her father, Mohamed Abdulmajid, was the Somali ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Her mother, Mariam, was a gynecologist. Iman grew up with four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. Six generations of sons came before her on her father's side, which made her the first girl in that line.

  During her formative years she lived with her grandparents. At the age of four she was sent to boarding school in Egypt, where she spent most of her childhood and adolescence. Over time she became fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, French and English.

  Political unrest in Somalia then reshaped the family's plans. Her mother, her siblings and Iman traveled to Kenya, and her father and younger sister joined them later. She briefly studied political science at the University of Nairobi in 1975, and a photographer was about to change her plans.

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• 3. The Muse Years

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  Peter Beard, an American photographer, discovered Iman while she was at university. She moved to the United States to begin a modeling career. Her first assignment was for Vogue, a year later in 1976. Covers on some of the world's most prestigious magazines followed quickly, and she was soon a supermodel. In her twenties she also obtained American citizenship.

  Her long neck, slender figure, fine features and copper-toned skin made her an instant success. She herself insists that her looks are merely typically Somali.

  Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake and Donna Karan all treated her as a muse. So did Thierry Mugler. Yves Saint-Laurent was a particular admirer, and he once described her as his "dream woman".

  Photographers lined up as well. Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Annie Leibovitz all worked with her. Iman credits the nurturing of various designers for giving her the confidence to succeed. It was an era when individuality was valued and model-muses were often an integral part of the creative process. In London she was represented by TESS Management.

  After almost two decades in front of cameras, she was ready to build something of her own in 1994.

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• 4. Her Own Shades

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  The company she founded, Iman Mohamed Cosmetics, concentrated on shades that women found difficult to locate. The idea grew from her years of mixing her own formulations for the make-up artists who worked on her. She stayed closely involved in the final product and also acted as the commercial face of the brand. By 2010 it was a $25-million-a-year business.

  In early 2012 she signed Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim as brand ambassadors for the line. The two Somali designers are the founders of the fashion company Mataano.

  In late 2021 Iman released a signature fragrance called "Love Memoir". The amber of its bottle nods to the sunsets she and her husband enjoyed. The bottle's shape imitates two stones, a reference to a spiritual ritual. People place flat stones to guide those who come after them, and the tradition is also tied to healing from grief. Iman has performed the ritual around her and David's property.

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• 5. On Screen

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  Her first film role came in the 1979 British film The Human Factor. In 1985 she had a bit part in Out of Africa, the Oscar-winning film starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. Two roles followed in 1987. She played Nina Beka in the thriller No Way Out with Kevin Costner, and Hedy in Surrender, a comedy with Michael Caine.

  The year 1991 was her first in Hollywood, and she worked on several film productions. They included Tim Hunter's Lies of the Twins and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, in which she played a shapeshifting alien. That year she also appeared opposite her then-fiancé David Bowie in The Linguini Incident, and had a smaller part in the comedy House Party 2. In 1994 she appeared in the comedy and romance film Exit to Eden.

  Television offered shorter stints. In 1985 she played Dakotah in the Miami Vice episode "Back in the World", and she also appeared as Mrs. Montgomery on The Cosby Show. She returned to Miami Vice in 1988 as Lois Blyth in "Love at First Sight". That same year she played Marie Babineaux in an episode of In the Heat of the Night.

  Hosting came later. In the mid-2000s she spent two years presenting Bravo TV's fashion-themed show, Project Runway Canada. In November 2010 she and her friend and colleague, the designer Isaac Mizrahi, began hosting the second season of The Fashion Show. Bravo had started that series to replace its former hit Project Runway, which had moved to the Lifetime network.

  In 1999 she made a cameo alongside Bowie in Omikron: The Nomad Soul, a 3D adventure game for Windows 9x and Dreamcast. The developer was the video game company Quantic Dream. Iman appears as one of the many Omikronian citizens whom the player can "reincarnate" into.

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• 6. Causes and Honors

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  Since 2007, Iman has supported Product Red, and in 2025 she joined its advisory board. In September 2019 she became the first-ever Global Advocate for CARE. Together they work toward a world where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security.

  She is also a spokesperson for Keep a Child Alive and works closely with the Children's Defense Fund. As an Ambassador for Save the Children, she has raised awareness of its relief services in the greater East Africa region.

  Her work with the Enough Project aims to end the global trade in conflict minerals. She also played a key part in the public campaign against blood diamonds. She ended her contract with the diamond conglomerate De Beers over a conflict of ethics.

  Honors have followed this work. Glamour Magazine named her Woman of the Year in 2006, and in 2011 the BET Honors gave her its Service Award. In 2019 the Golden Heart Awards presented her with the Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community Service. The Franca Fund has also given her the Franca Sozzani Award. In 2025 Models.com gave her a Lifetime Achievement award.

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• 7. Marriages and Bowie

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  At age 18, Iman married Hassan, a young Somali entrepreneur and Hilton hotel executive. The marriage ended a few years later, when she moved to the US to pursue modeling.

  In 1977 she dated the American actor Warren Beatty. Later that year she became engaged to the American basketball player Spencer Haywood, and they married soon after. Their daughter was born in 1978 and has since given Iman a granddaughter. The couple divorced in February 1987.

  A surprise blind date in Los Angeles in 1990 introduced her to the English musician David Bowie. The setup came from their friend, the hairdresser Teddy Antolin, who had invited her to a party. When she reached the restaurant, only four people were there: Antolin, his boyfriend, Iman and Bowie.

  At the end of the evening, Bowie offered to drive her home. She answered, "No, I'm going to drive my car." He invited her to tea the next day, and she then learned he did not drink tea. They went to a nearby coffee shop instead.

  Bowie titled a 1991 instrumental piece "Abdulmajid" after her. Philip Glass later converted it into a symphony.

  On the 24th of April 1992, Iman and Bowie married in a private ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland. The wedding was solemnized in Florence, Italy, on the 6th of June. Their daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, was born on the 15th of August 2000 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Iman is also stepmother to Duncan Jones, Bowie's son from a previous marriage. Both children carry Bowie's legal surname. The family lived primarily in Manhattan and London.

  Bowie died on the 10th of January 2016. In her tribute, Iman wrote, "the struggle is real, but so is God". She has credited her faith with helping her through dark times. In 2022 she said she refuses to call him her "late" husband, because "he is my husband".

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