Supermodel Naomi Campbell is “loyal” to the fashion designers she has worked with from a young age.

The British-born model explained the support of the likes of Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent helped her break into the industry, and while she is not “forced” to wear their designs, she considers them to be “creative geniuses.”

“Our group kind of broke in with the support of designers like Gianni Versace, Azzedine Alaia, Yves Saint Laurent, and Karl Lagerfeld, and their connections to both the magazines and the photographers. I loved watching so many of the great designers I’ve worked with do what they do. That’s why I’m still loyal to the designers that I’ve known since I was 16. It’s not that I’m forced to be - it’s that they’re creative geniuses and I love what they do. For my whole group of girls, it wasn’t always about how much we were getting paid. We were interested in how creative it looked-how it would come across.”

The 40-year-old fashionista also revealed she is grateful of the support of fellow supermodels Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista, who helped her to become more accepted in the fashion world.

“When I was younger there were certain designers who hadn’t used models of color in their shows, and Christy and Linda said to them, ‘If you don’t take Naomi, then you don’t get us.’ My friends and comrades stuck up for me - and that doesn’t happen in fashion. I will never forget that. I am a woman of color and I will always be proud of that. I also know that I will always have to go that extra 10 miles.”