Naomi Campbell models ‘Support Black Education’ hoodie for Virgil Abloh’s social enterprise 

Naomi Campbell is lending her support to her friend, late designer Virgil Abloh’s social enterprise championing black education. 

The model, 51, who welcomed her first child last year, models a hoodie from the initiative’s new merchandise range, a collaboration between Virgil’s brand Off-White and British Vogue.

Naomi’s close friend Virgil died in November last year, at the age of 41, after a secret battle with cancer. 

Off-White™️ and British Vogue have joined forces for a special collection to benefit The Black Curriculum, a UK-based social enterprise committed to delivering Black history across the UK.

Naomi models a ‘I Support Black Education’ hoodie for the campaign.

For Edward Enninful, British Vogue’s editor-in-chief and European editorial director, the Off-White™️ and Vogue collection is the most fitting parting gift from a man who ‘always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career. 

‘To open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they – unlike himself – would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.’

Loss: Naomi’s close friend Virgil, who made history as Louis Vuitton’s first black artistic director, died in November last year, at the age of 41, after a secret battle with cancer

Designed by Abloh, the collection of special edition merchandise features a traditional Off-White™️ PSA t-shirt and two hoodie designs, one re-imagined in Abloh’s iconic script, produced in organic cotton.

All funds raised will benefit The Black Curriculum. Grounded in the arts, the organisation aims to prepare students to become fully rounded citizens, in preparation for the increasingly globalised world of today. 

Virgil, who made history as Louis Vuitton’s first black artistic director, died in November last year after he had been privately battling a rare form of the disease called cardiac angiosarcoma. He was diagnosed with the condition in 2019.  

Naomi reflected on Virgil Abloh’s ‘beautiful legacy’ in an emotional tribute at the time of his death, writing on Instagram:  ‘Your impact, your reach, your influence captured a culture across the world… YOU REACHED!’ 

Legacy: Naomi reflected on Virgil’s ‘beautiful legacy’ in an emotional tribute at the time of his death, writing on Instagram: ‘Your impact, your reach, your influence captured a culture across the world’ (pictured with Donatella Versace and Virgil)

‘On this very sad day we are left numb… but so much to learn from you, you were a mastered mind of putting things together. You were humble and worked hard and brave with all you were going through, you lived your dream and got that seat at the table HISTORIC!!!’ 

‘Love you always, KEEP US RISING FROM THE OTHER SIDE. REST IN POWER,’ the supermodel concluded.

Earlier this week Naomi gave a candid insight into motherhood as she admitted she felt ‘blessed’ to have welcomed a biological daughter last year, at the age of 50. 

Noting that she ‘likes to travel’ like her jet-setting mother, Naomi, 51, told British Vogue, ‘I’m lucky my little one loves to travel like me – no whimpering taking off or landing. 

Surprise! Naomi announced she had become a mother last year with an Instagram post cradling her newborn daughter and stated she has never felt a ‘greater love’

The British supermodel wrote: ‘A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother’

‘She’s a good girl: she sleeps very well, she hardly ever cries and I’m told she’s very alert for her age.’

Naomi continued: ‘She’s just started waving, which is fun. She laughs a lot. She’s almost talking. I think she might walk before she crawls. And she’s got six teeth already.’  

The supermodel has so far refused to reveal the name of her daughter, or the identity of the biological father, but has confirmed that her baby was not adopted. 

Naomi stunned fans by announcing the birth of her daughter in May, just weeks after appearing on the New York Fashion Week runway without a visible baby bump.

She said the nine-month old child is hers amid growing speculation regarding the biological parentage.