All-TIME Fashion Icons

Rock 'n' roll is no stranger to rebellious androgyny (the New York Dolls come to mind). But in the case of David Bowie — whether in Ziggy Stardust–era glam or as the drug-addled skeleton of his '70s funk period — it was always more than a defiant look. It was part of a much bigger creative identity.

When Iman was a student at Nairobi University, fashion photographer Peter Beard approached her to ask if she had had her picture taken before. At first she thought he meant ever. She was soon to leave Kenya, to make her first print appearance in Vogue, to become a familiar face on runways around the world and one of the first black supermodels. Iman officially retired from modeling in 1989, but she has continued to influence the industry.

She has been married to David Bowie for two decades and, in 2010, received the Fashion Icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. less