Naomi Campbell was a vision in shiny metallic silver as she took the runway with her trademark supermodel swagger to display her collaboration with PrettyLittleThing, the fast fashion brand.
The runway show at Cipriani Broadway in lower Manhattan, kicking off New York Fashion Week, featured a cascade of models in figure-hugging designs embedded with crystals or made of sparkly metallics, many with plunging necklines. But the highlight was Campbell herself, age 53, who closed the show in a sleek, clinging silver gown, her long tresses swaying behind her.
The former supermodel worked on the collection with two emerging designers — Victor Anate, based in Nigeria, and New York-based, Jamaican-born designer Edvin Thompson, of the Theophilio label, both of whom accompanied her on the runway for a bow.
Lest anyone think strutting the runway has become easy for the pioneering supermodel with decades of experience, Campbell said it was “nerve-wracking to do that walk — on every level.” But she added in an interview that she was deeply proud of how the collaboration came together. “This is what I wanted,” she said.
Campbell deflected criticism that she was ignoring the issue of sustainability by partnering with a fast fashion brand. But she added: “It’s a journey of change. Sustainability will come. It will have to.”
Guests at the show included actors Tommy Dorfman, Emily Ratajkowski and Julia Fox.
“I’m expecting sexy and confident and powerful,” Dorfman said before the show. “I always think it’s great when amazing artists, like Naomi, can come on board and give her creative vision to a brand, and we all get to benefit from it.”
Campbell acknowledged that walking with her high-profile friends present felt intimidating. “I’m always nervous when I walk,” she said. “But I was extra, extra extra nervous today.” JOHN CARUCCI & EVAN AGOSTINI, NEW YORK, MDT/AP
