The Original Trailblazer

'70s supermodel Beverly Johnson reads: 'Without Beverly Johnson, there would be no Iman, Naomi Campbell or Tyra Banks. Seriously: Although relatively unknown in the UK, she has long been hailed a trailblazer across the pond; the first black model to appear on the cover of US Vogue, in 1974, and a heroine of the civil rights movement following that debut...

Opinion: I was the first black model on the cover of Vogue. The fashion industry still isn’t fixing its racism.

I was the first black model on the cover of Vogue in August 1974. I was told before it could never happen. Ruth Whitney, the then-editor in chief of Glamour Magazine, the venerable publication that gave me my first break in the 1970s, proclaimed that I had “broken all color barriers.”

BEVERLY JOHNSON, HER RULE & THE NEED FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN FASHION NOW

Beverly Johnson has graced countless magazine covers, including two that have a place in fashion history. She’s appeared on the runways of some of the world’s top designers, numerous magazine editorial spreads, and national fashion and beauty campaigns...