Iman Abdulmajid (born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid; Somali: Zara Maxamed Cabdulmajiid, 25 July 1955[2]) is a Somali fashion model, supermodel, actress and entrepreneur. A muse of the designers Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Yves Saint Laurent, she is also noted for her philanthropic work. She was married to the rock musician David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

Iman was born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid in Mogadishu and raised as Muslim. She was later renamed Iman at her grandfather's urging.[3] Iman is the daughter of Mariam and Mohamed Abdulmajid.[4] Her father, a diplomat, was the Somali ambassador to Saudi Arabia,[5] and her mother was a gynecologist.[6] She has four siblings: two brothers and two sisters.[7]

Iman lived with her grandparents during her formative years. At age four she was sent to boarding school in Egypt, where she spent most of her childhood and adolescence.[3][8] Following political unrest in Somalia, Iman's father moved the family back to the country. At his behest, she and her mother and siblings subsequently traveled to Kenya and were later joined by her father and younger sister.[3] She briefly studied political science at the University of Nairobi in 1975.[9][10]


While she was at university, Iman was discovered by the American photographer Peter Beard, and moved to the United States to begin a modeling career.[5][11] Her first modeling assignment was for Vogue a year later in 1976. She soon appeared on the cover of some of the world’s most prestigious magazines, establishing herself as a supermodel.[5]

With her long neck, tall stature, slender figure, fine features, and copper-toned skin, Iman was an instant success in the fashion world, though she herself insists that her looks are merely typically Somali. She became a muse to many prominent designers, including Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake and Donna Karan.[8][12][13] She was a favourite of Yves Saint-Laurent, who once described her as his "dream woman".[14] Iman has worked with photographers including Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Annie Leibovitz.[12]

After almost two decades of modeling, Iman started her own cosmetics firm in 1994, focusing on difficult-to-find shades for women.[16] Based on her years of experience mixing her own formulations for make-up artists to use on her, she was closely involved with the final product and also acted as the commercial face of the company.[8] Iman Cosmetics was a $25-million-a-year business by 2010. It is centered on $14.99 foundations in four formulations and 14 shades, and is among the top-selling foundation brands on Walgreens website.[8]

Global Chic[edit source]
Due to her marketability and high profile, Iman was approached in 2007 by the CEO of the Home Shopping Network (HSN) to create a clothing design line. Inspired by her childhood in Egypt and modeling time with Halston, Iman's first collection introduced embroidered, one-size-fits-all caftans. Her collection on HSN is called Global Chic.[8]

Iman appeared in two episodes of Miami Vice, playing Dakotah in Back in the World (1985) and Lois Blyth in Love at First Sight (1988). She also had a guest role as Mrs. Montgomery on The Cosby Show (1985). In 1988, she appeared as Marie Babineaux in an episode of In the Heat of the Night.[19]

In the mid-2000s, Iman spent two years as the host of Bravo TV's fashion-themed show, Project Runway Canada. In November 2010, along with her friend and colleague, designer Isaac Mizrahi, Iman also began hosting the second season of The Fashion Show. Bravo started the series to replace its former hit Project Runway that has now moved to the Lifetime network.[8][20]

Film[edit source]
Iman first featured in the 1979 British film The Human Factor, and had a bit part in the 1985 Oscar-winning film Out of Africa starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. She then portrayed Nina Beka in the 1987 thriller No Way Out with Kevin Costner, and Hedy in the Michael Caine comedy Surrender the same year.

During her first year in Hollywood, in 1991, she worked on several film productions.[21] Among these was the Tim Hunter-directed Lies of the Twins and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, where she played a shapeshifting alien. In 1991, she appeared in The Linguini Incident opposite her then-fiancé David Bowie. She had a smaller part in the 1991 comedy House Party 2 and in the 1994 comedy/romance film Exit to Eden.[19]