Chanel Iman is one of the most famous Blasian celebrities in the world right now. Blasian celebrities result from interracial marriages between Asians and blacks which are not especially common. Chanel Iman has taken the unique good looks that resulted from her parent’s love affair to become a well-known figure as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. She was declared as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s by Vogue Paris.
Details of the Supermodel’s Blasian Background
Chanel Iman who is of Afro-Asian descent was born Chanel Iman Robinson on December 1, 1990. She was born in Atlanta, Georgia to a Korean and African American mother, China Robinson and an African American father, George “Tic” Price. Her parents dated prior to her birth and were never married. They have since tied the knot with other spouses, as China has been married to music artist and songwriter, Wayne Linsey for over four years now, while Price is said to be married to Jamie Price. Chanel, however, spent most of her developing years in Los Angeles, Califonia with her mom.
Chanel’s mother is a former flight attendant who worked for 23 years before retiring from an active career. Supporting her daughter’s dream, she served as her manager for the first six years of her budding modeling career before stepping down from her role to begin working as her personal assistant and advisor. She appeared on an episode of the Tyra Banks Show in October 2007.
China Robinson currently works as a motivational speaker, having released two motivational books entitled ‘Who Said You Look Like a Model?’ and ‘From Seoul to Soul: A Mother’s Journey, a Daughter’s Dream’ all in 2013. Her father, on the other hand, is a famed college basketball head coach who is currently associated with Lamar Cardinals men’s basketball team. He is a former basketball player who played for Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech as a small forward in the 1970s.
Beginning his coaching career as an assistant coach at Roanoke College, Iman’s dad has moved on to coach several other collegiate teams including the McNeese State Cowboy’s basketball team, where he was awarded Southland Coach of the Year in 2002.
Chanel Iman Has Amassed a Fortune From Her Modeling Career and Other Successful Endeavors
Having kicked off her career as a child model with Ford Modeling Agency when she was 12 years old, Chanel has been involved in numerous modeling works ever since. She has graced the covers of top-notch magazines, walked the runway for several designers in fashion shows, and also made appearances in many notable brand campaigns.
It’s also worth noting that the gorgeous model is a fashionista who launched a clothing emporium called The Red Bag together with her mother in Culver City, California in the year 2010. She additionally partnered with Levis jeans alongside her husband to design custom jeans sold exclusively on Amazon. Iman also increased her earnings by working as a brand ambassador for brands such as Sunglass Hut and Utah-based electronics company Skullcandy.
Through her prolific modeling career that has seen her work as a Victoria’s Secret Angel for over a decade and equally got associated with various modeling agencies such as IMG Models and Visage Management, Chanel Iman has gathered an estimated net worth of $8 million.
Gaining Fame And Fortune As a Victoria’s Secret Angel
After signing with Ford Modeling Agency in her teens, Iman began a whirlwind life as she was spotted in editorials for Allure, Dubai, American, and Ukrainian Harpers Bazaar, V, i-D, Pop, Italian, British, and Indonesian Elle, Italian Vanity Fair, and several international Vogues. She then became Teen Vogue’s Covergirl in February and July 2007 with Karlie Kloss and Ali Michael, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier.
She made her second cover appearance on Teen Vogue in November 2009 with Jordan Dunn. She has subsequently covered American, British, and Italian Elle, American and French L’Officiel, i-D, Dubai and Ukrainian Harper’s Bazaar, Lula, Korean, Teen, and American Vogue. In the same year, 2009, the top model got associated with Victoria Secret and walked the runway for three consecutive years during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows, an annual runway that features the spectacle of models promoted by the company as fantasy angels.
Chanel Iman has been working as a Victoria’s Secret Angel since 2009 and thus, gained global recognition as a supermodel. Her association with the elite fashion brand paved way for her career, as she has subsequently worked as a runway model for several fashion designers, as well as appearing in ad campaigns for high-end brands. They include Burberry, Tom Ford, Gucci, Balenciaga, Max Mara, Jason Wu, Versace, Hugo Boss, Stella McCartney, Moschino, Tommy Hilfiger, Dior, Michael Kors, among many others.
Additionally, she has been sighted in advertising campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Bottega Veneta, DSquared2, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lord & Taylor, Express, Dennis Basso, Swarovski, XOXO, Benetton, J. Crew, and others.
The Model Has Also Landed Acting and Music Video Gigs
Despite attaining fame and fortune with her modeling works, Chanel Iman has gone on to add to her alluring portfolio in the entertainment industry a number of acting roles. In 2015, she played the role of Lily in the comedy-drama coming-of-age film, Dope which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. Her depiction in the movie earned her a Black Reel Award nomination for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female. She subsequently starred in the crackle original movie, Mad Families in 2017 and Burning Bright in 2019.
Beyond acting, the 5 feet 10 inches fashion model has worked as a correspondent in MTV’s brief revival of House of Style with Bar Refaeli. She was made a guest judge during the 2009 season premiere of America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 13. Later in 2015, Chanel served as a presenter of Guys Choice Awards and then made a guest appearance on Lip Sync Battle in the next year. She was also featured in a Kinect video game released by Intel on Xbox Live Arcade.
Furthermore, the stunning actress has been featured by many well-known music artists in some of their music videos including “Yonce” by Beyoncé, “Dive” by Usher, and “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd.
See Also: 10 Famous Half Black Half Asian (Blasian) Celebrities
Iman Is a Well-known Activist
Over the past years, Iman has involved herself in activism. She was among the celebrities that traveled to East Africa on a work trip in 2011, during the USAID and Ad Council’s FWD campaign which focused on creating awareness about the drought that occurred in East Africa that year. Afterward, she alongside Uma Thurman, Geena Davis, and Josh Hartnett put forward the facts about the crisis in TV and internet advertisements.
Chanel Iman is also an advocate for education and has established primary schools in impoverished rural areas in Tanzania and Uganda. Several young girls in Kenya have also received sponsorship which covers their daily necessities and academic tuition.
She Met Her Soul Mate At a Birthday Party
Chanel Iman has had her fair share of failed relationships in the past before meeting the love of her life, Sterling Shepard, a New York Giants wide receiver. She previously dated ASAP Rocky from 2013 to 2014, during which the two got engaged before heading their separate ways. Later in 2015, she was linked to professional basketball player, Jordan Clarkson.
Despite the heartbreaks, Iman never gave up on love, and thankfully, fate brought her and Sterling together at former New York Giants star, Victor Cruz’s birthday party in November 2016. The two got much attracted to each other at the party where they exchanged phone numbers and afterward, made public their relationship in the next year.
Chanel Iman’s Marital Bliss With Her NFL Star Husband
After dating for almost one year, Iman and Shepard got engaged a day after her birthday in 2017. They went on to exchange marital vows on March 3rd, 2018, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Later in May, Chanel announced her pregnancy in a Mother’s Day post she shared on her Instagram.
On August 10th, 2018, the happy couple expanded their family with the arrival of their first daughter, Cali Clay Shepard. Then in the following year, precisely on December 17th, the Victoria’s Secret Angel gave birth to her second daughter named Cassie Snow Shepard. The lovebirds seem so much in love after over two years of marriage.
