The LIT History Series is for the Legends, Innovators, and Trailblazers that have shaped our culture. I love history, and in turn, I love Black history. So much of our culture has been defined by those who’ve come before us, so I write this to capture and chronicle our narratives.
Donyale Luna is definitely a trailblazer, but her story is also a tragic one. While we recognize the iconic Beverly Johnson as the first black supermodel to grace the cover of a major fashion magazine with her 1974 Vogue cover, eight years earlier Donyale Luna dawned the cover of British Vogue. This made her the first black supermodel to appear on the cover of a major fashion magazine, and the first to appear on the cover of Vogue.
Donyale was born Peggy Ann Freeman in Detroit, Michigan. She was discovered by legendary photographer David McCabe while she was still in high school, and just two years later, she moved to New York and then to London.
In January 1965, a sketch of her appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar, and one year after that she appeared on the cover of British Vogue.
Luna became one of the first black models to attain superstar status in Europe, and she was photographed by the legendary photographer David Bailey, famed for his images of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. She went on to appear in numerous fashion shoots and movies, and she also became friends with the likes of Miles Davis, Mia Farrow, and Andy Warhol.
“Why don’t we know her name? Because we don’t have people writing her story,” Beverly Johnson said in an interview with USA Today. “I feel it’s really important to tell our stories; warts and all. The good and the bad. It inspires me to know that I’m not the only one with challenges and I made it through.”
“She was one of those legends in our industry; one of the shoulders I stood on,” Johnson added.
Unfortunately, Luna’s fashion career was short-lived. She rose to the top very quickly, and her fast life led her to the fast and destructive world of LSD and heroin. At the young age of 33, Luna died of an overdose while living in Italy.
Despite Luna’s groundbreaking firsts, she’s not widely recognized for her role in the fashion industry. Both her life and her career were cut short, but she made the way for more women of color to break into the fashion industry, even if the industry still has a long way to go.
