Naomi Sims, who many consider to have been the first black supermodel, died earlier this week in New Jersey from breast cancer. She was 61.In the late 1960s, Sims appeared on the covers of Vogue, Life, Ladies Home Journal, and the New York Times fashion magazine.
She is often credited for paving the way for the other black supermodels who followed closely in her footsteps--Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn and Beverly Johnson are just some of the models whose careers blossomed a decade after her success.
In her later years, she founded one of the first cosmetic and hair care lines for women of color. Her business prowess did not go unnoticed: According to the Washington Post, both Harvard Business School and Oprah Winfrey "singled out" her creative entrepreneurship in the fashion business.
An style inspiration and innovator, she surely will be missed.
--Daphne Muller
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