Donyale Luna, born Peggy Ann Freeman, was considered to be one of the first Black supermodels, gracing the cover of British Vogue in 1966. She was the first Black woman to do so and continued to break barriers within the fashion industry throughout the late 1960s and early 70s. Luna was one of the first models to gain stardom in Europe, by working closely with photographers like David Bailey, Richard Avedon, and David McCabe.
Luna is considered to be responsible for the commercial success of Black models in the later 1970s, such as Beverly Johnson and Pat Cleveland, on account of her prominence within fashion print media. Luna featured on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in 1965 preceding her Vogue cover and went on to work with designers like Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne.
References:
Image: Donyale Luna featured in The Cut Magazine_Image Courtesy of Woodgate_Associated Newspapers_Rex USA
Text: Goff, 2017. The First Black Supermodel, Whom History Forgot. Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2013/07/first-black-supermodel-whom-history-forgot.html
Burton, P. 2014. Luna Space Model. Available at: https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/22897/1/luna-space-model