It is then that Iman emerges on to the scene. With over a decade in the limelight, Iman became one of the world’s most recognized African women. By the time she married musician David Bowie in 1992—another event that ensured a heady public profile—she was already considered an authority in beauty products for women of colour. Two years later, she would launch a skincare collection. By 2000, Iman launched a second beauty company, I-Iman Makeup, which has broadened its scope to all women, regardless of their skin tone. In 2001, she launched her book, I Am Iman, provoking questions about the business of fashion and beauty.
   She puts her high profile to good use: Iman is involved in charities including Mother's Voices, Action Against Hunger, the Children's Defense Fund, and the All Children Foundation.
   Today’s society is more multi-ethnic than the one into which Iman came to in the 1970s. In fact, other cultures now borrow more freely from African ethnicity, celebrating it in everything from fashion to hip-hop.
   The H&M range which Iman models for spring is similarly global with ethnic influences—the Swedish label’s use of the Somali supermodel, now a US citizen, is no coincidence. The range is being touted for its comfort, while colours tend toward the natural: earth browns and dusty beiges. The great returns for H&M this season are the tunic and the reappearance of linen. Design features include drapery, creases, pleats and embroidery—as far as the Swedish company is concerned, ornamentation is in. •

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