Iman’s Net Worth : Career & Lifestyle
A Somalian-American retired actress, fashion model, and entrepreneur, Iman’s net worth is a staggering $120 million as of 2024.
Iman (which means ‘faith’ in Arabic) is her professional name. She is also regarded as a pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics.
Iman is well recognized for her fashion work with renowned designers such as Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, and Gianni Versace. She is the widow of David Bowie, the late English rock performer.
Iman has also made appearances in films and television, and she is involved in several humanitarian causes.
Iman was born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1955.
On the advice of her grandpa, her parents, diplomat Mohamed and gynecologist Miriam nicknamed her Iman. Feisal and Elias are her brothers, and Nadia and Idil are her sisters.
Iman spent most of her childhood and youth in Egypt, where she was sent when she was four years old. She and her family finally returned to Somalia before relocating to Kenya.
Iman completed a brief academic spell in the latter country at the University of Nairobi, researching political science.
Iman was found by American photographer Peter Beard while in college, prompting her to come to the U.S to take off her modeling career.
She featured on the covers of various major magazines after her first professional job with Vogue in 1976, and she became the inspiration of many famous designers.
She was known for her exquisite features, lithe figure, long neck, and copper skin, and she took the fashion world by storm. Iman has collaborated with notable photographers like Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, and Helmut Newton.
Quick Facts
So, let’s get to know Iman a little better, starting with some basic facts about him.
| Full Name | Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid |
|---|---|
| Known name | Iman |
| Date of Birth | 25 July 1955 |
| Birthplace | Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Age | 68 Years Old |
| Nationality | Somalia |
| Religion | Muslim |
| Ethnicity | Somali, American |
| Residence | Somalia |
| Mother | Marion |
| Father | Mohamed Abdulmajid |
| Siblings | Elias, Idil, Feisal, and Nadia |
| Height | In Centimetres – 175 cm In Feet and Inches – 5′ 9″ |
| Weight | In Kilograms – 58 Kg In Pounds – 127 lbs |
| Hair color | Dark Brown |
| Eye color | Dark Brown |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| High School | N/A |
| College | University of Nairobi |
| Profession | Actress, entrepreneur, Somalia-American fashion model |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Widow |
| Ex-Spouse/Wife | David Bowie |
| Children | Alexandria Zahra Jones, Zulekha Haywood |
| Active Years | 1975–present |
| Salary | Under-Review |
| Net Worth | $120 million |
| Social Media | Twitter, Wikipedia, Instagram, Facebook, IMBD |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Iman: Early Life
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, on July 25, 1955. She became a successful career entrepreneur in the 1990s with her own cosmetics line.
She has been married to rock musician David Bowie since 1992 and gave birth to a daughter Alexandria in 2000, making her a mother for the second time.
Iman’s gorgeous, exotic appearance, according to Washington Post writer Robin Givhan, “broadened the notion of beauty.” “She turned earthiness into a pleasurable experience.
She was instrumental in transforming fashion into entertainment and models into public figures.”
Iman’s mother, a gynecologist, gave her girl the name Iman (which means “faith” in Arabic) when she was born, in the hopes of better preparing her for the hardships she would encounter as a woman in Muslim East Africa.
Iman’s father was a diplomat stationed in Tanzania, and even though he could have had numerous wives under the law, he preferred to maintain only one.
The family decided that their girl should attend a private Catholic girls’ school, which was more innovative than the traditional Islamic education provided to young women in the 1960s.
Iman’s Net Worth and Income
A Somalian-American retired actress, fashion model, and entrepreneur, Iman’s net worth is a staggering $120 million as of 2024.
Most of her fortune comes from her two decades in the modeling world, where he was a sought-after and well-respected supermodel.
She earned some of these funds as an actress, but she is now a successful businesswoman and the CEO of two firms. In 2010, her Iman Cosmetics brand earned more than $25 million.
Overall, she is a strong individual whose earnings will undoubtedly increase in the next years due to her wise work decisions.
Talking about her previous husband, David Bowie, had a fortune of $230 million at his death. Iman fared the best in the will, inheriting their huge SoHo dual-penthouse “flat” as well as half of his estate.
Duncan, David’s son, got a quarter of his father’s wealth. The remaining 25% went to a trust for David’s teenage daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones, along with a mountain hideaway in New York State.
Corinne Schwab, commonly known as Coco, was awarded $2 million and Bowie’s previous Opossum Inc. holdings. Marion Skene, David Bowie’s childhood nanny, received a million-dollar payout.
Iman: House
During America’s Memorial Day weekend, Iman was particularly active on social media, giving admirers a view into her home “library” as well as a touching memorial to her deceased husband, David Bowie.
David and Iman have owned various homes throughout the years, including a stunning mansion on the island of Mustique and a New York apartment with a view of Central Park.
His final family residence was a property he acquired for approximately $2 million in Woodstock, New York, in 2011. According to public records, the musician went to great lengths to conceal his acquisition of the mountain retreat.
Under his real name, David Robert Jones, he had purchased all of his previous properties. He did, however, purchase the Woodstock property through a limited liability corporation.
Lifestyle
Even though her life is meant to live lavishly cause of her heavy net worth, she still loves a simple lifestyle. Since she was grown in a conservative family, she isn’t much habituated to a privileged life.
However, being a model all these years, she does maintain her skin and health.
She’s always been praised for her perfect, velvet-like skin and youthful appearance, and now she’s revealed her beauty routine.
Iman Abdulmajid, the legendary fashionista, has revealed the cosmetics she uses to maintain her bright skin, as well as the tips and tactics she’s learned over the course of her decades-long career.
In reality, Iman had been doing exactly that since the mid-1970s, when a cosmetics artist told her he didn’t have anything acceptable for someone with her skin tone.
(What he did put on her face, according to Iman, was grayish, and the photographs taken that day were mercifully published in black and white.)
The supermodel’s black colleagues took notice when she started combining her own color combinations. Other non-Caucasian models began asking Iman whether they could use her improvised formulae as well.
Abdulmajid’s top recommendation was SK II’s Signature 3D Redefining Mask, which she praised for its hydrating capabilities.
Even though it is pricey, the model claims she has been using it for the past eight years because it can “drench, quench, and moisturize my skin nicely to an undeniable and visible impact.”
Modeling, Business Ventures, Television, and Film, Video Games
Modeling
American photographer Peter Beard spotted Iman while still an undergraduate, and she relocated to the United States to pursue a modeling career.
Her first modeling job was for Vogue in 1976, a year later. She quickly established herself as a supermodel, landing some of the most coveted magazine covers.
Iman was an enormous hit in the fashion world thanks to her long neck, towering stature, slim body, fine features, and copper-toned complexion, even though she argues that her looks are mere or typically Somali.
Many well-known designers, including Halston, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake, and Donna Karan, used her as a model. Yves Saint-Laurent adored her and once described her as his “dream girl.”
Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, and Annie Leibovitz are among the photographers Iman has collaborated with.
Iman attributes her confidence in succeeding to the nurturing she received from numerous designers at an era when individualism was valued, and model-muses were frequently a vital part of the creative process.
TESS Management in London represents her.
Business Ventures
Iman Cosmetics
In 1994, Iman founded her own cosmetics company, specializing in hard-to-find hues for ladies after nearly two decades of modeling.
Also, she worked as the company’s advertising face, based on her years of experience formulating her own formulations for make-up artists to apply to her.
By 2010, Iman Cosmetics has grown to a US$25 million a year company. It focuses on US$14.99 foundations in four formulations and 14 hues, and it is one of Walgreens’ best-selling foundation products.
Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim, creators of the Mataano fashion firm, were appointed as endorsers for Iman’s cosmetics collection in spring 2012.
Global Chic
Iman was asked by the Home Shopping Network (HSN) CEO in 2007 to launch a clothes design line because of her marketability and high status.
Iman’s first collection featured embroidered, one-size-fits-all caftans inspired by her youth in Egypt and modeling career with Halston.
Her Global Chic collection, which has expanded into a line of cheap accessories, is now one of the top four best-selling items among HSN’s more than 200 fashion and jewelry brands.
Television and Film
Iman played Lois Blyth in Love at First Sight and Dakotah in Back in the World (1985) in two episodes of Miami Vice (1988).
She also appeared as Mrs. Montgomery on The Cosby Show as a guest star (1985).
Iman hosted Bravo TV’s stylish show Project Runway Canada for two years in the mid-2000s. Iman started hosting the sequel of The Fashion Show in November 2010, alongside her friend and teammate, designer Isaac Mizrahi.
The show premiered on Bravo to replace the network’s previous hit Project Runway, which has since relocated to Lifetime.
Iman initially appeared in the British movie The Human Factor in 1979, and then in Robert Redford and Meryl Streep’s Oscar-winning film Out of Africa in 1985.
She next played Nina Beka in Kevin Costner’s 1987 drama No Way Out and Hedy in Michael Caine’s comedy Surrender. Iman worked on many movie productions in her first year in Hollywood, in 1991.
Lies of the Twins, directed by Tim Hunter, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, where she played a shapeshifting alien, were among them. Iman has also acted in humorous parts.
In 1991, she starred with her then-fiancé David Bowie in The Linguini Incident.
Video Games
Iman makes a cameo role in a Windows 9x, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, and Dreamcast 3D adventure game produced by Quantic Dream alongside her husband, David Bowie.
She features the game as one of the several Omikronian citizens that the player can “reincarnate” into.
Also read about: Jane Fonda’s Net Worth: Lifestyle & Career
Career
Iman’s entry into modeling came as a complete surprise. She was still a student at the university when she was approached by Peter Beard, an American fashion photographer, who offered her a modeling job in the United States.
In the following year, she landed her first modeling job with the famed Vogue magazine. After that, she became an overnight phenomenon, and there was no turning back.
She collaborated with world-famous designers like Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace, Issey Miyake, and Halston during her heyday in the 1970s and 1980s.
She has also dabbled with television and movies from time to time. Her debut film role was in the British film “The Human Factor” in 1979.
Iman has also worked on television, most notably as the host of ‘Project Runaway Canada,’ where she spent two years.
Iman received a “Fashion Icon” lifetime achievement award in 2010 as one of her many honors.
Furthermore, she accepted the award from Isabella Rossellini, who was dressed in a gown by Giambattista Valli.
Charity
Iman is involved in several philanthropic organizations. She has served as the first-ever Global Advocate for CARE, an international humanitarian aid organization, since 2019.
She works with the organization to help reduce global poverty and ensure that everyone lives in safety and dignity.
Iman also advocates for the Children’s Defense Fund, the Keep a Child Alive initiative and Save the Children throughout the larger East African region.
She’s also a member of the Enough Project, a non-profit dedicated to ending crimes against humanity. Iman was a key player in the campaign against blood diamonds, working with the organization to halt the trade in conflict minerals.
3 Interesting Things About Iman
- When Peter Beard first approached her, Iman was apprehensive about having her photos shot. She agreed to let him photograph her on the condition that he pay for her college fees.
- She feigned not to speak or understand English when she first began modeling to learn what people thought of her.
- When her parents visited her, she would hide her nude photos shot by Richard Avedon due to her traditional upbringing.
FAQS
What religion does Iman follow?
The fact that Iman, born Iman Abdulmajid, is African. She’s a Somali woman. She is a Muslim, an entrepreneur, and a “lapsed feminist.”
What is the origin of Iman’s name?
Iman was born in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, as Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid. At her grandfather’s request, she has renamed Iman.
When did Iman’s husband die?
Bowie, born David Jones, died on Jan. 10, 2016, two days after his 69th birthday, after a protracted battle with liver cancer. Iman and David Bowie married in 1992 and have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, 19 years old.
