Since its launch in 1977 Trust In The Lord Shirt . FASHION magazine has been giving Canadian readers in-depth reports on the industry’s most influential figures and expert takes on the worlds of fashion, beauty and style. In this series, we explore the depths of our archive to bring you some of the best fashion features we’ve ever published. This story, originally titled “Naomi Campbell’s Second Career” by Tim Blanks was originally published in FASHION’s November 2000 issue.

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Naomi Campbell’s efforts to get a life after super modelling have exposed her to ridicule in the past Trust In The Lord Shirt . (Does anyone remember that novel?) But with her new self-titled fragrance (in collaboration with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics), she is right where she belongs—in the thick of the beauty business. This time the fit is right, and it shows in the sales so far in Japan, Australia and Germany. On the eve of its North American launch, an entire floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan has been turned over to the Naomi machine. One room alone is filled with racks of Alaïa dresses and enough Fendi baguettes to satisfy the appetite of the most ravenous fashion fiend. Although she will keep Barbara Walters waiting for over an hour later in the day, Naomi is in distinctly un-diva-like form. Maybe it’s the break she has just enjoyed chez Evangelista in the South of France. NAOMI CAMPBELL: No, she doesn’t miss it, but she does miss her friends. Linda is a part of my life. She helped me in my career so much. She’d say to designers like Dolce & Gabbana, “Have you ever seen Naomi Campbell walk? You’ve never put a black girl in your show, you must take her.” And they’d listen to Linda. We used to help each other, and I feel that’s what is missing from modelling today. The camaraderie is not the same as it was for my group of girls. It was a very special time and I will always have fond memories. You have been very opinionated about the fashion business. Do you think it’s still racist? Well, I haven’t seen a black model on the cover of a magazine in North America in the last year and a half. We see all races in music and in dance and in theatre, so why don’t we see them in fashion?