Donyale Luna

To celebrate Black History Month, today I will be writing about the model Donyale Luna and how she used her career to make a difference within the fashion industry.

Donyale Luna was the first women of colour to appear on the cover of the British edition of Vogue in March 1966. Born as Peggy Ann Freeman in Detroit in 1945, it was not until she was a teenager that she began going by the name Donyale Luna. Throughout her modelling career, she overcame a vast amount of prejudice as at the time "white passing models" were favoured. Due to her success, she enabled the breakthrough of more diverse beauty standards.

It all started when Luna was discovered on the streets of Detroit, by the English photographer David McCabe. McCabe invited her to move to Manhattan to pursue modelling. A year later Luna decided to move to New York in 1964, just after the Civil Rights Act was passed. Luna decided to call McCabe and follow him up on his promise, she was then introduced to the team behind Harper's Bazaar who signed her to an exclusive contract, getting her her first job which consisted of a shoot with Woody Allen for Mademoiselle.

Donyale Luna lived what seemed to be a glamorous life although she could never escape the prejudice. Many Southern advertisers pulled funding and readers of magazines cancelled their subscriptions when she appeared on the page. As a result Avedon was told to stop photographing her due to the large amount of backlash. In the end Donyale knew that she was always going to be limited in America because of the colour of her skin so she made the move to Europe.

However, it was actually in London where Luna made her name as a model. She arrived in London in December 1965 during the "youth-quake". She was photographed by numerous photographers such as David Bailey and William Klein. She also joined the London arts scene as she became friends with Mick Jagger and Julie Christie. It was here that Donyale made her first big break in the industry, appearing on the cover of Vogue in March 1966. She became an overnight sensation, Time described 1966 as the "Luna Year". It was because of her success that she landed roles on the catwalk. In Paris she modelled for Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and Paco Rabanne, bringing her own style to the catwalk she was seen crawling like a lion, dancing to the music or making direct eye contact with the journalists on the front row. Luna made catwalks more of a performance, creating a landmark moment for the fashion industry.

Sadly Donyale Luna passed away in 1979 in Italy at the age of 33 from a tragic drug related accident. Although she is not with us today, her impact on the fashion industry is still present and will be for many years to come.

Sources: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/donyale-luna-model-vogue

Image Credits: Charlotte March, Alamy, Harri Peccinotti, Getty and David Bailey.