Donel Luna

She was called an alien, her muses were considered Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Federico Fellini. She revolutionized fashion as the first black model on the cover of Vogue and passed away at the age of 33. We tell you who Donyel Luna is and why her name is still surrounded by legends.

a strange girl

Donyel Luna became one of the main sensations of the American fashion industry in the 60s, befriending the stars and inspiring geniuses. At the same time, much less is said about him than about other top models of different eras. Model Dream’s only daughter, this is because even in her lifetime she is sure that few people really knew her mother. Dream almost does not remember him, but he studied his biography in detail, read his diaries and tries to tell the public as much as possible about him.

Donyel Luna is the name the model started calling herself in her teenage years. She real name was Peggy Ann Freeman and she was born in Detroit in 1945. The girl’s father worked in a factory, her mother was a secretary of a Christian women’s organization. Three daughters grew up in the family, the middle of which was Peggy. The girl was tall: at the age of 18, her height was about 182 cm. At this age, Donyel noticed the famous fashion photographer David McGabe on the street. He asked if the girl had tried herself as a model and advised her to come to Manhattan, where she could help her with her career. Luna later said she was never seen as a beauty in her hometown and her peers often shunned her:

A year after meeting the photographer, Donyel went to New York. The idea was risky: modeling was seen as an industry for whites. Black models were only shot in special “African-American” publications such as Ebony magazine. Girl of the Month writes in an article for Vogue:

Popularity

Donyel went to the New York Light. He rented an apartment with another girl, worked as a secretary in a company. He began a career in 1964 – the most important Civil Rights Act was passed in the United States, which outlawed discrimination on the basis of race. It was also time for big changes in the fashion world: America was ready for entirely new heroes, and the Moon with its exotic beauty was just in the spirit of the times. David McGabe not only answered his call, but also kept his promise to introduce the right people. A few months later, she was already shooting with the legendary Richard Avedon. Shortly before that, the model wrote to a friend:

Donyel Luna, Richard Avedon

Indeed, popularity came quickly: newspapers proclaimed Luna as America’s first black model. Daughter Dönel says:

Donyel became the star of parties in New York’s social circles, partying with celebrities such as models Verushka and Andy Warhol. The artist was pleased with the appearance of the moon and took it into his inner circle. He tried to capture the beauty of the girl – starred in several short films – in the Polaroid, in the movie, in the cinema: his feature film Camp. But according to her daughter Donyel, the model has always felt racial prejudice in the United States. While the new star was popular in New York, sales of her cover magazines were falling in some states, and fashion photographers were criticized for working with Moon. Dönel decided to continue his career in England.

theater on the podium

In the mid-’60s, in London with his revolutionary fashion for Beatlemania and minis, Donyel was in his place. She became the first black woman on the cover of Vogue again – now British.

Donyel Luna for Vogue

By 1966, Donyel was already one of the most sought-after models in the world, Time magazine called that year the “year of the month” and wrote about her:

The model made her debut on the catwalk with great success: she participated in the shows of such leading fashion houses as Valentino, Christian Dior, Paco Rabanne in Paris.

A distinctive feature of the model was her walk on the catwalk, to which the magazines devoted all the articles. girl of the month writes:

Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham recalled Donyel’s shows:

But the model still continued to face racism: she was not allowed to enter restaurants (“violated the dress code”), the police often stopped her on the streets of European cities for no reason, the designers again heard negative reviews about themselves. cooperation with him.

Muse Dali

In London social life, Luna settled in just as quickly as she did during her time in New York. Among her friends were Mick Jagger, Michael Caine, and Mia Farrow, dating Rolling Stones musician Brian Jones (and starring in a movie about the band). At various times she has written several novels with famous men, including actor Maximilian Schell, who is allegedly engaged to she.

Donyel Luna and Brian Jones, 1968

In creative terms, the Moon captivated several cult artists at once. Salvador Dali described the model as the reincarnation of Queen Nefertiti, often visited her and participated in art projects.

Donyel Luna and Salvador Dali

The most famous were photographs of the Moon posing in a light dress, which the artist painted directly on the fabric.

Donyel Luna and Salvador Dali. The photo was taken by photographer William Claxton at Dalí’s home in 1966. Then Luna and Dali met for the first time. And that meeting turned into a two-day photo shoot.

Federico Fellini gave her the brilliant role of a witch in his Satyricon.

Donyel Luna and Federico Fellini, 1968

At that time, Luna temporarily moved to Italy, where she met her future husband, photographer Luigi Cazzaniga. The press writes that at first the lovers could not really communicate – he spoke only Italian, and Donyel did not speak this language. The couple surprised the public: interracial unions were still unusual. And yet she came to the wedding.

– Says the daughter of the dream model.

Donyel Luna and Luigi Cazzaniga, 1969

Luna found pictures for their photo shoot, her husband shot her, they had a lot of creative ideas, even the script for an art house movie they never shot. The model spent most of her time in Rome, continuing to shoot for fashion brands, but tried to concentrate on the cinema. In 1971 she got the main role in the film “Salome” by Carmelo Bene – the same role was the last in her filmography.

Donyel Luna by Luigi Cazzaniga

Far Side of the Moon

The price of success and fame was drug addiction: in a bohemian setting, Donyel became addicted to illegal substances that he did not hide – in an interview he could have directly confessed his love for LSD. Close models believed that psychological trauma played a role: When Luna achieved success in New York, she learned that her mother had shot her father during a family feud at home. The police considered it self-defense: it turned out that Father Donyel had been drinking, raising his hand to his wife more than once and threatening to kill her. Luna only learned about the incident three months later. She did not go to Detroit: according to psychologists, this was most likely some kind of defensive response.

In the late 60s, drug addiction began to directly affect both the work and personal life of the model. She was in a relationship with actor Klaus Kinski at the time, but they quickly broke up when they started living together – Kinski didn’t like that his girlfriend brought her friends home with them to do drugs. Luna’s colleague, model Beverly Johnson, recalls:

It is unknown if Luna’s addiction contributed to her later split from Luigi Cazzaniga. In 1977, their daughter was born, soon the couple broke up, although they remained officially married. According to media reports, Dream was not even two years old when Donyel died of a heroin overdose in Rome on the morning of May 17, 1979. The model’s daughter describes her mother’s death as a tragic accident:

Donyel Luna with her daughter

The dream says he has only a vague memory of his mother:

After her mother’s death, Dream was raised by her father. Now Dream lives in Paris and willingly shares her memories of her mother with the press.

Dream Cazzaniga

Luigi Cazzaniga with his daughter Dream