Iman

Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, the daughter of a diplomat, and her family fled the country following a 1969 coup, living for a time as refugees before she pursued university studies in Nairobi, Kenya. She was discovered there by an American photographer in 1975 and moved to New York, launching a modelling career at a time when the fashion industry offered extremely limited opportunities to Black models.

Iman quickly became one of the most sought-after models of the late 1970s and 1980s, working with leading designers and photographers and becoming one of the first Black supermodels to achieve major international recognition, opening doors within an industry that had long marginalised Black women from its most visible campaigns and magazine covers. She continued a prominent modelling career for over a decade before shifting toward business.

In 1994, Iman launched her own cosmetics company specifically formulated for women of colour, a market largely underserved by the mainstream beauty industry at the time, building it into a significant commercial success. She has continued combining business, philanthropy, and public advocacy throughout her career, and remains widely credited as a pioneer who expanded the fashion industry's recognition of Black beauty and talent.