NAOMI: In Fashion is the first exhibition of its kind, exploring the extraordinary career of fashion model Naomi Campbell. Through the work of leading global designers and photographers, the exhibition seeks to celebrate her creative collaborations, activism, and far-reaching cultural impact.
Naomi Campbell is one of the most celebrated supermodels of all time. A trailblazer, she broke barriers and glass ceilings for Black women.
Situated in the circular Gallery 40, NAOMI is split in two. The bottom floor is a dimly lit fortress that tells something of a story but lacks a firm narrative. We learn a little about Naomi’s beginnings, such as the tale of her being spotted in Covent Garden aged 15 and gracing the cover of Elle less than a year later. There are a few copies of iconic magazine covers and a few pretty outfits – but the best is yet to come.
However, the chapter ends with the gown that Naomi wore on the last day of her community service. Whilst many people think that she deliberately turned her community service into a spectacle, a quote from Naomi reads, “When I did my community service, the paparazzi were them from the first day, treating it as if I was doing a runway show. So, when the last day came, I wanted to walk out and leave with my head held up high. I chose to wear this.”
Across from this are a bunch of screens featuring various celebrities telling us why Naomi is so amazing. It’s a bit patronising, as if we have to be told, by celebrities, why Naomi is an icon. But that highlights a possible problem with the exhibition a whole: it can feel like a gratuitous hagiography that celebrates Naomi without ever criticising her.
The top floor – a blank, white, open space that feels awfully clinical – is filled with scores of outfits worn by Naomi Campbell during her decades-long career. You feel like you’re in a futuristic laboratory where Naomi is being studied – but, ironically, you leave having learned little.
Whilst DIVA‘s top floor showcased outfits worn by various divas, offering an insight into all of them, NAOMI‘s top floor feels like a vehicle to show off some of Naomi’s clothes. It embodies “beautiful gowns” – literally. It’s an absolute dream for fans of fashion but it feels a little out of place in the V&A.
Indeed, NAOMI is the first major museum exhibition devoted to a model. Canonising a model – and filling the exhibition with outfits designed by other people – unsurprisingly raised some eyebrows.
But it also speaks to the V&A’s determination to be progressive; to recognise that art is subjective and is not limited to the paintings and statues that populate the museum. The museum has previously spotlighted designers, such as Coco Chanel, as well as more broad cultural categories, such as divas and musical theatre. If any model is deserving of an exhibition, it’s Naomi Campbell, who opened doors for Black women and challenged White supremacist beauty standard.
Perhaps the reason why the exhibition works is because it does not try too hard to make a case for Naomi’s canonisation. It does not take itself too seriously. But others might criticise it for not taking itself seriously at all. Naomi has, unsurprisingly, been involved in the production – and that might just be the problem. Each pice has a caption which contextualises it culturally but they all serve to venerate Naomi, as if she is the artist.
The community service gown is the only glimpse into Naomi’s troubles – and even then, it has been altered to laud a remorseful Naomi. The exhibition only reveals as much as Naomi wants it to, but her bad behaviour and countless controversies are such important aspects of her status as a popular culture icon, so their absence is felt in this clean, safe, sanitised space.
The other major biographical exhibition in London at the moment is Marilyn: The Exhibition at Arches London Bridge. Marilyn Monroe, who is long dead, is another level of icon. The exhibition, though very much a celebration of the star, does not shy away from her troubles, even if it addresses them to evoke sympathy for her. Marilyn aims is to “reveal the woman behind the bombshell”. NAOMI, however, hardly scratches the surface.
But whilst NAOMI lacks a narrative, it might be unfair to call it “style over substance”, for it still contextualises and explores important themes, especially race. Whilst some might find it unsubstantial, it’s hardly misleading: it’s subtitled “In Fashion”, not “The Person”, so I guess it does what it says on the tin.
By the time you leave the exhibition, you will probably know little more about Naomi than you did when you went in, but you will be in absolute awe over the dazzling dresses that were once worn by a trailblazing Black British female who challenged and changed fashion forever.
NAOMI: In Fashion runs at the V&A (Gallery 40) until April 6.
Photo: V&A
JADAR 