One of the world’s first Black supermodels, Mississippi-born beauty Naomi Sims, passed away August 3, 2009, after a bout with cancer. She was 61. Sims personified the term “Black is beautiful,” while breaking racial barriers both on the runway and as businesswoman.
By Qianna Smith and Bridgette Bartlett
Told by the major modeling agencies that her skin was too dark, Sims did not let that stop her from chasing after her dreams.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
Before Sims, no dark-skinned model had ever received so much exposure, praise, and professional prestige. Here, Sims graces the August 1973 cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
“When she put on a garment, something just marvelous happened,” said fashion designer Halston, one of the first major fashion houses to hire Sims.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
Model Naomi Sims wears a long belted dress by Halston in 1972. “Naomi was the first,” the designer Halston told The New York Times in 1974. “She was the great ambassador for all black people. She broke down all the social barriers.”
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
“Black wasn’t beautiful then,” said Sims in an interview with Black Enterprise magazine. “The darker your skin, the less good-looking you were considered; and I was too tall, and too skinny.”
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
In 1986, Naomi Sims Beauty Products was established and featured cosmetics for Black women. Sims’s also manufactured and sold wigs—her line became a competitor amongst top industry brands.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
Sims made the switch from model to mogul with ease. The Naomi Sims Beauty brand was grossing $5 million by 1989. “One of the things people notice about me is the quality of my skin,” Sims told Anne-Marie Shiro of the New York Times. “We decided I was the best person to advertise my products.”
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
Reflects on Naomi Sims’s Impact on the Industry»
Add author to Sims’s many groundbreaking titles. In 1976, her first book, “All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman,” was published with three more books to follow, including “How to Be a Top Model,” “All About Hair Care for the Black Woman,” and “All About Success for the Black Woman.”
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
“Naomi Sims used the things that worked against her as a young girl, like her height, her chocolate skin, her smile, the short hair, and big laughter they became her calling card and what made her what you would call a supermodel,” shared Mikki Taylor, ESSENCE magazine Beauty & Cover Director.
A profile on Naomi Sims that appeared in the January 1987 issue of ESSENCE magazine. In the piece, Sims is applauded for not only having a pretty face but also for her time and dedication to community needs, working with young drug addicts, Vietnam veterans and Black civil groups.
“Naomi Sims came onto the scene right at the end of the Civil Rights Movement. It was at the time that the young advertising execs on Madison Avenue were trying to grab hold of the theme ‘Black is Beautiful,’” says Bethann Hardison, a former model who appeared on the cover of ESSENCE in Octorber 1974 (seen here) and founder of Bethann Management.
“I am devastated. She was my hero. So little is known about what an outstanding model she was. I would not have the career I have without Naomi Sims. She will be surely missed,” said fashion model legend Beverly Johnson.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»
“Naomi Sims was an incredibly beautiful and strong woman. She broke through the glass ceiling to lead the way for those models and business women of color, who followed in her footsteps,” said Naomi Campbell. “With many firsts accomplished in her career as the first Black model on the covers of New York Times’ Fashion of the Times supplement and Life Magazine, Naomi was an inspiration to me. She had great style, beauty, grace and an air of mystery. Her elegance will not be forgotten.”
Celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine had this to say: "Naomi Sims was a pioneer in the world of modeling. Her look redefined “beauty” in the American market and provided inspiration to millions of Black women around the world. However, her legacy as an astute businesswoman was solidified when she put her name on wigs and cosmetic products that catered to a long-overlooked section of the population."
“I would be nowhere if it weren’t for Black women,” said Sims in the African American Business Leaders. Sims credited her race with helping her pave the way for others, and we salute her for legendary style, beauty and grace.
ESSENCE Magazine Beauty & Cover Director Mikki Taylor remembers Naomi Sims»
Fashion Revolutionary Bethann Hardison reflects on Naomi Sims’s impact on the industry»