Meet Donyale Luna, the First Black Supermodel to Appear on the Cover of Vogue!
- Donyale Luna’s incredible life has been chronicled in HBO’s upcoming documentary Donyale Luna: Supermodel.
- The documentary is all set to premiere on September 13.
- Luna was one of the most successful models of the 1960s.
Who was Donyale Luna?
Donyale Luna, born Peggy Ann Freeman, was an American supermodel who was a star in the fashion industry. Despite being a trailblazer and having career accomplishments so huge as a woman of color, not many remember her legacy.
The supermodel was an ”ethereal, larger-than-life character who challenged the existing ideals of beauty, broke barriers, and influenced culture throughout her 33 years on Earth.”
The black beauty left her home to become a model just months after the Civil Rights Act passed.
The Detroit native was discovered by a fashion photographer named David McCabe in 1963. He then convinced her to move to Manhattan.
Despite working hard and making her place in the fashion industry, Luna became a victim of discrimination. After that, she flew to Europe where it was less prevalent.
She said in an interview,
“I wouldn’t have to be bothered with political situations when I woke up in the morning,”
Dolyane created history in 1966 when she became the first black woman to appear on the cover of British Vogue.
Her story is finally being told through HBO’s new documentary named Donyale Luna: Supermodel which was recently screened during the NYFW.
Find out more about the supermodel who paved the way for models of color.
Also, Read Olivia Wilde and Vogue China’s Margaret Zhang Accidentally Wore The Same Dress To Met Gala 2023!
Donyale Luna grew up in Detroit, Michigan
Luna was born to born to Nathaniel A. and Peggy Freeman in Detroit, Michigan. She was the middle child of three daughters.
She was very active in school and was a bright student. Luna also had a love for extracurricular activities and was passionate about theater.
Photographer David McCabe then convinced her to try modeling and move to Manhattan where he would ultimately launch her career.
In an interview with Time in 1966, Luna opened up about how differently she was treated in America and Europe.
She told the magazine,
“Back in Detroit I wasn’t considered beautiful or anything,”
“But here I’m different.”
Luna was the first black model to cover Vogue
Over decades, black supermodels like Pat Cleveland and Beverly Johnson have been praised for their huge moves in the fashion world.
The NY Times called Johnson in May 2007 as the “the first African American woman to land on the cover of Vogue.”
While that is correct for the American Vogue published in August 1974, Luna was in fact, the first-ever black supermodel to be on the cover of British Vogue in 1966. Additionally, she was the first black supermodel to be on Harper Bazaar’s cover in 1937.
Luna was friends with the Rolling Stones
Luna’s social circle grew as her career as a model thrived. In London, she became involved in the youthquake, a movement ”controlled by the younger generation heavily stirring up the music, fashion, and pop culture in the mid-1960s.”
In 1968, she even became a fire-eater’s assistant in the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll circus. She was romantically linked to Brian Jones. However, she was great friends with Mick Jagger, Mia Farrow, and Michael Caine.
Who was Donyale Luna’s husband?
Luna tied the knot with Italian photographer Luigi Cazzaniga in 1976.
The two reportedly met in Italy after the model’s many travels from New York and London. Despite having a language barrier, the couple grew together not just romantically but creatively as well.
Luna and Luigi had a daughter
Luna and Cazzaniga welcomed one child, daughter Dream Cazzaniga, together in 1977. They named their only daughter after Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech which happened around the time the supermodel moved to NYC.
In May 1979, Luna passed away at age 33. It was just months after she gave birth to her daughter.
Also, Read Edward Enninful Announces Retirement as British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief!
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Posted on: Sunday, January 14 2024
