Naomi Campbell and her hazmat airport look: the most iconic look of 2020

 

Back in July 2019, Naomi Campbell released her now-famous video on YouTube, “Naomi Campbell’s Airport Routine.” In the 5:19-minute-long clip, she thoroughly wipes a first-class plane seat and tray down—while wearing gloves—before sitting down. The video went viral, and people nitpicked at what was thought of as the supermodel’s fanatical adherence to cleaning. Campbell was generally heralded as an eccentric germaphobe. A few months later she had the last laugh, as we all began to mimic her habits during COVID-19. Later in March, Campbell outdid herself again. In the midst of the pandemic, Campbell was photographed in a new airport: a Hazmat suit (under $20 dollars from Amazon) along with a lambskin-trimmed, $3,000 dollar Burberry scarf. The image of Campbell traipsing through the airport in a plastic, bacteria-free Hazmat suit with a Burberry scarf luxuriously draped over her shoulders caused a viral stir. The look is now heading the Bath Fashion Museum in the United Kingdom.

Campbell’s hazmat suit has remained one of the most iconic looks of 2020. (In mid-December she revealed in a Wall Street Journal story that she buys the hazmat suits in bulk, recommended by fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista.) The item of clothing, which acts as a little personal world of plastic protection, had an importance beyond other lockdown must-haves like sweatpants or slippers. A novelty on the streets, the Hazmat suit was previously mostly seen in films like Contagion or in actual hospitals. Then suddenly it was common on the streets, including on supermodels. Between March 8 and March 21, the term “hazmat suit” peaked on Google search, along with “Naomi Campbell,” who wore hers first on March 10.

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