Black + Beautiful Vogue Cover Girls


  The first black model to grace the cover of British Vogue was Donyale Luna in 1966.  Donyale went on to star in movies directed by Otto Preminger, Federico Fellini and Andy Warhol, before the end of her short tumultuous life.   The cover of Vogue is the pinnacle of any model’s career. The honor can lead to high-end fashion and beauty contracts, film, TV and commercial roles and entrepreneurial enterprises.  The first African American model on the cover of American Vogue was Beverly Johnson.  Her career achievements include film and TV roles, two beauty books and a successful hair product line.  Beverly is the star of a reality show on OWN“Beverly’s Full House”real estate entrepreneur. The second African American model to score a Vogue cover was Peggy Dillard. Peggy is now a successfulHer Harlem salon, Turning Heads was on the vanguard of the natural hair movement.  Somalian beauty Iman is also a multi hyphenate talent. Iman is an actress, author and CEO of Iman Cosmetics. Many Vogue cover beauties of color pen their memoirs and campaign for important issues. Waris Dirie has a memoir and documentary, “Desert Flower” that details her escape from genial mutilation.  Her foundation is called Desert Flower Foundation. Beauty Alek Wek also wrote her memoir and is an ambassador for Doctors without Borders. Alek also designs a line of elegant handbags, "Wek 1933". Tyra Banks is a television mogul who started on “The Fresh Prince of Belair” as Will Smith’s love interest. Tyra is the CEO of Bankable Enterprises, which produces “America’s Next Top Model” and her successful talk show “Tyra”. In addition Tyra has found time to complete her Executive Business Education at Harvard School of Business.   Shari Belafonte has starred in several TV dramas. The model with the most Vogue covers to date is Naomi Campbell. Adding to her various endeavors philanthropy and acting, Naomi is the executive producer of reality show, “The Face” where aspiring models compete  to be the face of ULTA. The show will debut this week on Oxygen. Naomi is a coach with supermodels Coco Rocha and Karolina Kurkova.   Other models have established post Vogue cover careers in the arts. Louise Vyent is a photographer. Wanakee Pugh is a visual artist. The new cover girls are branching out like their history making supermodels of color. Chanel Iman has a website devoted to her accomplishments and philanthropy. Liya Kebede is the face of L’Oreal. Liya founded the Liya Kebede Foundation to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in Ethiopia and around the world. Noemie Lenoir has added film actress to her resume. Joan Smalls is the co-host of MTV’s House of Style.   Lana Ogilvie and Kiara Kabukuru have beauty campaigns with Cover Girl Cosmetics.  Now there is an online campaign to launch a Vogue Africa. Black + Beautiful Vogue cover girls are Semper Fabulous.


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