Another Lesson In Black History…Who Was The First Black Model That Yves Saint Laurent Used In His Haute Couture Shows?

Monique Orosemane better known only as Mounia

Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first designers to introduce black models in his runway shows, which raised many eyebrows at the time.

Mounia was discovered by the fashion designer Givenchy in her hometown of Martinique. He encouraged her to move to Paris to pursue modeling. Her modeling led her to collaborate with Yves Saint Laurent, a relationship that brought her stardom, she had become his first Black muse.

Mounia & YSL

Working with YSL, Mounia was given the opportunity to grace the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, WWD, and Essence magazine. She also walked the runways for Dior, Chanel, Emanuel Ungaro, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, and Givenchy.

Mounia

“I was his first black muse…He helped open the door for black models.”
-Mounia

YSL

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