"People called me 'Iman the black model'. In my country, we're all black, so nobody called somebody else black. It was foreign to my ears." ~ Iman

Iman Abdulmajid (born 25 July 1955) is a Somali supermodel, actress, and entrepreneur. A muse of the designers Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and Yves Saint Laurent, she is also noted for her philanthropic work. She married rock musician David Bowie in 1992.

Enter Markus Klinko...

"It was the late spring of 2001 when I met Angelina Jolie's famous make-up artist, Paul Starr, on a shoot for 'Interview Magazine' in New York. He asked me if I had ever worked with Iman, another client of his, and suggested that he take my portfolio over to her house, just a few blocks down the street from my studio.

"The next day, Iman called me on the phone and said she wanted to meet me and talk about a project. I was very excited to see the legendary supermodel in person and was anxious to hear her thoughts. When Iman arrived at the studio, I was shocked that she was even more stunning than in the photos. She was very complimentary of my work and explained that she had been working on her first book, 'I Am Iman'. She had contributions from virtually every great fashion photographer in the world, from Helmut Newton to Steven Meisel, but she wanted me to shoot the book's cover. I couldn't be more flattered, but I also felt the pressure to create something amazing with her. We scheduled the shoot for the following week," recalls Markus.

The project became one of Markus's most significant photographer / star collaborations.