Since the beginning of her career, Iman is known for being one of the first to challenge and change prevailing notions of beauty. The daughter of an African diplomat, Iman was born in Somalia on July 25, 1955. During her early years Iman mastered five languages. While working toward her political science degree as an undergraduate at Nairobi University, a well-known photographer, Peter Beard, spotted her walking across campus. Thus began her incomparable career in the fashion world.

Her first modeling assignment was for Vogue in 1976. Iman was an instant success in fashion; favored by several top fashion designers including Yves St. Laurent, Versace, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan. During her 14 years as a model, she also worked with many top photographers. In 1998, Iman was listed by People Magazine as one of the 100 most influential women of the 20th century. She was recognized for her ground breaking achievements which paved the way for women of color in the beauty industry.

A U.S. citizen residing in New York, Iman is married to musician/actor David Bowie and together they have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra, who was born in August of 2000. Her daughter from a previous marriage, Zulekha, is currently a college student in the United States.

In addition to running a successful beauty company, Iman is actively involved in several charities including Mother’s Voices, Action Against Hunger, The Children’s Defense Fund and The All Children Foundation. She recently completed her first book, I AM IMAN (Universe, 2001), an autobiographical sketchbook of her working life.

CREATING IMAN COSMETICS