Before Rihanna’s Fenty, Iman Paved the Way With Her Own Cosmetics Line

A renowned fashion model, Iman has graced countless runways across the world with her impeccable beauty and style. After retiring from modeling just over three decades ago, she chose to continue making her mark in the beauty industry by launching the first cosmetic line designed specifically for women of color.

Read on below to find out more about how the accomplished model has immortalized her name in the world of fashion and beauty with her impactful and ground-breaking influences.

As a trendsetting supermodel, Iman was the first Black model to be featured on the cover of some of the top publications in fashion, including Vanity Fair, and the respective versions of Vogue in the United Kingdom and the United States. Iman is also known for her unique style. As a model, she was great at showing off eye-catching creations from some of the biggest name in the industry. However, when it comes to her personal style, she loves outfits that allow show off her true self. To maintain a timeless look, she sticks to a blend of classic and contemporary fashion styles.

Whenever she is shooting for a glamorous look, the model loves to go with simple but sophisticated outfits that feature a single color scheme. She also prefers comfortable outfits over something chunkier. Diamond bracelets and earrings are her go-to options when it comes to her choice of jewelry. The influential model also prefers sleek blazers and leggings for her everyday wear.

On top of her modeling success and iconic sense of style, the model also has a make-up line – Iman Cosmetics. As a woman of color, the model had firsthand experience in just how hard it was to find beauty products designed to cater to her unique needs. According to her, she had to play the role of a chemist, mixing and matching different products to create a concoction that perfectly matched her skin tone. Using this as an inspiration, she went ahead to create a line of cosmetic products specifically designed to be used by people of color.

“It was more than foundations and powders for me; it was appealing to a deep psychological need that I think all Black women needed at that time: To be told that they were beautiful, invited to sit at the table, and courted in high style: women of all skin tones want to look good when they rule the world,” she wrote on Instagram.“I wasn’t going to wait for a seat at the table… I just build my own table!”

Over the years, Iman Cosmetics — which was launched in 1994 — has continued to increase its product offering to ensure that its clients get what they need. The brand offers a variety of fragrances and skincare products as well as more than 16 shades of foundation. To make sure that these products reach the intended target market, they are sold across the globe from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.

An iconic model, Iman has had a huge influence in the fashion world. To demonstrate this, she has been the recipient of various notable awards – including a CFDA Fashion Icon award. Through the years, this stunning model has been able to influence the fashion world in a variety of way – from her unique catwalk etiquette, formidable business acumen and timeless style.

By using her beauty and brains, she has paved the way for other people of color to succeed in an industry that has been struggling with inclusion for many years.