NAOMI CAMPBELL has stunned audiences by making a rare runway appearance at Paris Fashion Week.
The supermodel walked in the Maison Valentino Spring 2019 couture presentation yesterday, 14 years after her last runway appearance for the luxury Italian fashion house.
Campbell closed the show in a sheer black floor length gown, which featured a voluminous tiered skirt.
As she performed her signature walk down the runway, which was lined with stars such as Celine Dion, the audience applauded her.
Naomi Campbell closes out Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2019. The show included 43 Black models on the catwalk. pic.twitter.com/xbKuF40dhH [2]
— Karen Civil (@KarenCivil) January 23, 2019 [3]
The Valentino show has been praised for its diversity. More than 40 black models walked the runway, showcasing the elaborate, intricate and floral inspired designs from Pierpaolo Piccioli’s collection.
Campbell, who previously regularly closed Valentino’s shows and shed a few tears at the end of Piccioli's showcase, congratulated the designer on a “beautiful evening”.
On social media, the fashion show has been a talking point.
One Twitter user said: “Seeing all the black models in the Valentino Spring Couture show warms my heart.”
Another added: “So many beautiful black models in the @MaisonValentino couture show. So pleased!”
The inclusion of so many black models has been attributed to casting director Patrizia Pilotti.
REAL DIVERSITY at the Valentino SS19 Couture show! pic.twitter.com/RBWMRUaeFQ [4]
— ???????????????????????? (@VOGUENART) January 23, 2019 [5]
Last year, Paris Fashion Week was criticised for its lack of diversity.
Some designers presenting included no more than three black models in their shows.
In New York, analysis by The Fashion Spot, found that in terms of race, size, age and gender, last year’s fashion week was the most diverse for the capital.
This improvement in representation was helped thanks to designers such as Pyer Moss, whose show featured all black models and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show, which embraced racial and body type diversity, and Prabal Gurung and Christian Siriano.
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