London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Who is Mounia, the First Black Haute Couture Model and Yves Saint Laurent's Muse?

Who is Mounia, the First Black Haute Couture Model and Yves Saint Laurent's Muse?

Yves Saint Laurent's first-ever Black muse was a pioneer for models of color on the runways.

Before Monique-Antoine “Mounia” Orosemane made history on the Haute Couture catwalks, the Martinique-born beauty worked at the island's local airport as an announcer. Her career started shortly after she was transferred to Paris' Orly airport, relocating the budding model to the epicenter of fashion. Mounia's first major modeling opportuinity was at the house of Givenchy. Mounia's start in fashion was during a time when Black models like Iman, Beverly Johnson, and Pat Cleveland were opening doors for other models of color in the industry, and Mounia herself was the first-ever Black model to walk a Chanel runway.

When searching for his next muse, Yves Saint Laurent was drawn to Mounia's rich complexion and unparalleled grace. He situated her as the pinnacle of his work, finding inspiration in her beauty but also friendship. Saint Laurent was one of the first major designers to open doors for Black models. His commitment to diversity shined through in all of his collections, and the fashion world came to celebrate Mounia's excellence. In 1978, she walked the Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture show, becoming the first Black model to appear on the esteemed couture runways.



Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1983.



Mounia with Yves Saint Laurent on the runway, circa 1980s.



Yves Saint Laurent and Mounia pictured with before a show.

In an interview with W Magazine in 2008, Mounia said, “I was [Saint Laurent's] first Black muse...He helped open the door for Black models. Sometimes I was his confidante, and I would sometimes inspire his creativity. He called me Moumounn. The collection that made me a celebrity was the one inspired by Porgy and Bess. I wore a pink pantsuit and a boater hat. I walked to ‘Summertime’ and really took on the character of Bess. Catherine Deneuve stood up and started clapping. Then everyone stood up and called out ‘Bravo!’ Yves Saint Laurent peered around the curtain-a thing that he had never done before-to see what all of the commotion was about. The people were shouting ‘Bravo, Yves Saint Laurent!’ and ‘Brava, Mounia!’ He took me in his arms, and we kissed. This for me was history."



Mounia's detailed recollection of this moment in fashion history exemplifies her relationship with the world-class designer. The legendary model represented Yves Saint Laurent on the cover of almost 20 major magazines and continued to appear in his stunning collections throughout the '70s and '80s. As a Black model in an often exclusionary space, Mounia paved the way for figures like Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, and other models of color to take the industry by storm.



Mounia in Yves Saint Laurent for L'OFFICIEL Paris, 1979.

After a short but immensely successful career, Mounia retired from modeling and turned her focus to the arts. She released several music albums and ultimately devoted her life to the practice of painting. Her signature pieces, with abstract splashes of bright color, have been showcased in galleries all over the world. Today, she continues to create eye-catching art, but is remembered for her groundbreaking presence in the fashion world.



Mounia posing in front of her art.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×