Iman

Biography

Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid (Somali: Iimaan Maxamed Cabdulmajiid; born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, 25 July 1955), known mononymously as Iman, is a Somali-American model and actress. A muse of the designers Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Yves Saint Laurent, she is also noted for her philanthropic work. Since her debut in 1975, she rose to the pinnacle of global fashion, establishing herself as one of the world’s most iconic models. She was married to athlete Spencer Haywood from 1977 to 1987 and musician David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

== Early life == Iman Mohamed was born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid (Somali: Zara Maxamed Cabdulmajiid) in Mogadishu and raised as a Muslim. She was later renamed Iman, meaning "faith" in Arabic at her grandfather's urging, who believed she would "prosper" with a masculine name. Iman is the daughter of Mariam and Mohamed Abdulmajid. Her father, a diplomat, was the Somali ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and her mother was a gynecologist. She has four siblings: two brothers and two sisters, and was the first girl in her paternal family in six generations of sons. Iman Mohamed lived with her grandparents during her formative years. At age four she was sent to boarding school in Egypt, where she spent most of her childhood and adolescence. Following political unrest in Somalia, Iman's father moved the family back to the country. At his behest, she and her mother and siblings subsequently traveled to Kenya and were later joined by her father and younger sister. She briefly studied political science at the University of Nairobi in 1975.

== Career ==

=== Modeling === While she was at university, Iman Mohamed was discovered by American photographer Peter Beard and moved to the United States to begin a modeling career. Her first modeling assignment was for Vogue a year later in 1976. She soon appeared on the cover of some of the world's most prestigious magazines, establishing herself as a supermodel. In 1977, she starred in the first Black woman-centered Revlon campaign for the brand's Polished Ambers collection alongside Tamara Dobson, Jerri Haywood, Peggy Dillard, and Coco Mitchell. With her long neck, slender figure, fine features, and copper-toned skin, Iman Mohamed was an instant success in the fashion world, though she herself insists that her looks are merely typically Somali. She became a muse to many prominent designers, including Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake and Donna Karan. She was a favourite of Yves Saint-Laurent, who once described her as his "dream woman". Iman has worked with photographers including Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Annie Leibovitz. Iman Mohamed credits the nurturing she received from various designers with having given her the confidence to succeed in an era when individuality was valued and model-muses were often an integral part of the creative process. She was represented by TESS Management in London.

=== Music video === In 1992, Iman appeared in a Michael Jackson short film and music video Remember the Time, directed by John Singleton. She portrayed the Queen of Ancient Egypt opposite Eddie Murphy as the Pharaoh. The production, noted for its cinematic scale and Ancient Egyptian setting, remains one of Iman's most recognizable appearances outside her modeling and acting career.

=== Business === After almost two decades of modeling, Iman started her own cosmetics firm in 1994, focusing on difficult-to-find shades for women. Based on her years of experience mixing her own formulations for make-up artists to use on her, she was closely involved with the final product and also acted as the commercial face of the company. Iman Mohamed Cosmetics was a $25-million-a-year business by 2010. In early 2012, Iman Mohamed signed fellow Somali designers Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, founders of the Mataano fashion company, as brand ambassadors for her cosmetics line. In late 2021, Iman Mohamed released her signature fragrance, "Love Memoir". The color of the amber bottle is a nod to the sunsets she and her husband enjoyed. The shape of the bottle is a mimic of two stones, which references to a spiritual ritual where you place flat stones to guide people who come after you. The tradition is also connected to healing from grief. Iman Mohamed has done this ritual around her and David's property.

Iman Mohamed appeared in two episodes of Miami Vice, playing Dakotah in "Back in the World" (1985) and Lois Blyth in "Love at First Sight" (1988). She also had a guest role as Mrs. Montgomery on The Cosby Show (1985). In 1988, she appeared as Marie Babineaux in an episode of In the Heat of the Night. In the mid-2000s, Iman Mohamed spent two years as the host of Bravo TV's fashion-themed show, Project Runway Canada. In November 2010, along with her friend and colleague, designer Isaac Mizrahi, Iman Mohamed also began hosting the second season of The Fashion Show. Bravo started the series to replace its former hit Project Runway that had moved to the Lifetime network. Iman Mohamed's first film role was in the 1979 British film The Human Factor, and she had a bit part in the 1985 Oscar-winning film Out of Africa starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. She portrayed Nina Beka in the 1987 thriller No Way Out with Kevin Costner, and Hedy in the Michael Caine comedy Surrender the same year. During 1991, her first year in Hollywood, she worked on several film productions. Among them were Tim Hunter's Lies of the Twins and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, where she played a shapeshifting alien. In 1991, she appeared in The Linguini Incident opposite her then-fiancé David Bowie. She had a smaller part in the 1991 comedy House Party 2 and in the 1994 comedy/romance film Exit to Eden.

=== Video games === Iman Mohamed made a cameo appearance alongside her husband David Bowie in the 1999 Windows 9x and Dreamcast 3D adventure game Omikron: The Nomad Soul, developed by the video game company Quantic Dream. In the game, she appears as one of the numerous Omikronian citizens the player can "reincarnate" into.