Naomi Campbell and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stole the spotlight off of the fashion extravaganza at Harlem’s Fashion Row Fashion Show and Style Awards to honor her with the prestigious Fashion Icon Award in September 2024, which quickly turned into a memorable moment for another reason altogether.
Naomi Campbell claps back at Anna Wintour after Wintour commented on her being late to show where she was supposed to present Naomi with an award.
Wintour reportedly had to leave and gave the award to Samira Nasr to present, which Naomi said she preferred over “the other lady.” PIC.TWITTER.COM/GVWA8VUKTX
— Pop Base (@PopBase) SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
As one of the biggest stars in the fashion world, Campbell was due to have her trophy presented by Wintour, who has long been a supporter and pivotal figure in the supermodel’s career. The interesting turn this took was in Wintour’s introduction of Campbell, when the notoriously strict-on-time editor made a dig at Campbell’s “fashionably late” arrival:. “I am a very punctual person,” Wintour, began, adding, with understatement, “and I have the honor of presenting this evening to someone who is often late.”
With her characteristic poise, Wintour no doubt addressed this remark to Campbell, who is not exactly known for her punctuality, frequently fashionably late to any event. True to type, Campbell was late and only took to the stage after Wintour had already left, not staying around to wait for the supermodel.
With Wintour absent, presentation duties fell to another style icon: Harper’s Bazaar editor in chief Samira Nasr. Nasr acquitted herself nobly, making her way to the stage to present the award to Campbell. What happened next gave the crowd something to murmur about:.
As Campbell took to the stage to receive, she handled the situation with a mix of lightness and candor. “I’m late.” she said, before, in perhaps a swipe, referring to Wintour as “the other lady,” which made the crowd gasp and burst into laughter. Then Campbell talked about how she would have liked Nasr to give the award, subtly bringing to light the tension that had just occurred.
But beneath its breezy tone, the exchange captured one of those rare public moments of friction between two fashion icons. The back-and-forth history between Campbell and Wintour is one based on mutual respect, despite the incident that recently unfolded. Wintour played an instrumental role in the rise of Campbell, insisting that she grace the cover of Vogue back in 1989-the first Black model ever to do so and monumental shift in fashion history.
That moment, at Harlem’s Fashion Row, has since gone viral on social media; many have framed Campbell’s comments as breezy yet pointed-hi, a greeting and acknowledgment of the long history between her and Wintour, but also her own agency.
