Haute Read: Naomi Campbell’s $1750 Coffee Book

Photo Credit: Taschen

Naomi Campbell has always been sassy (ahem), so why should a book she’d write be any different?

Via Taschen books, the supermodel, entrepreneur, activist and yes, provocateur, has released a limited, two-volume collector’s edition presented as a scantily clad pink bra. Yes, you read that right (and you see it, quite clearly, above).

There are 1,000 numbered copies of the 496-page book, each signed by the British supermodel, presented in a multiple artwork by British pop artist Allen Jones. 

Volume 1—which includes autobiographical text—showcases Campbell’s best photographs from the likes of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Richard Avedon, Anton Corbijn, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Paolo Roversi, Mario Testino, Ellen von Unwerth and Bruce Weber, as well as memorable shoots from the likes of Peter Lindbergh, who shot Campbell dancing as Josephine Baker on the beach in Deauville for Italian Vogue. Volume 1 is presented, as noted, in an artwork by Jones. For the Naomi Campbell Art Edition, Jones’ artwork deploys stylized contours and smooth surfaces to invoke a sense of touch, while exploring the role of the supermodel in contemporary culture. In Jones’s words, “It does not attempt to illustrate Naomi, but to encapsulate her.”

Volume 2 features even more autobiographical text, illustrated by magazine covers, ads, never-before-seen personal snapshots, video stills, and more. In Volume 2, Naomi recalls her childhood; the beginning of her modeling career; her work with fashion’s greatest designers, including Azzedine Alaïa, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace; and experiencing the meteoric rise to superstardom. Photographer biographies and an illustrated appendix are also included.

Campbell celebrated the book’s launch in her typical haute style, with a disco-themed fete hosted by Marc Jacobs and Taschen that was attended by Bella Hadid, Anna Wintour, André Leon Talley, Uma Thurman, Zac Posen and Nicky Hilton.