At 67 Years Old, JoAni Johnson Is Not Your Typical Model

The Harlem native and FENTY model shares her fashion and life wisdom with us.

JoAni Johnson has been an avid fashion lover since as long as she can remember, but modeling is quite an unexpected career that she only started pursuing in her mid-60s.

After appearing in a viral 2016 Allure video dispelling the beauty myths about aging gracefully, the Harlem native has become a New York Fashion Week regular over the past few seasons, walking down the runway for brands like Deveaux and CDLM. Chances are you’ve seen her in a recent fashion campaign as well. From Pyer Moss to Rihanna‘s LVMH luxury maison FENTY, the 67-year-old model has fronted advertisements for some of the buzziest fashion labels today.

“At 5’4, black and 67 years of age I am not your typical model in the general defined way,” Johnson told us as we shot this editorial against the backdrop of Chinatown, Manhattan. “What I represent though is not a fad, so essentially my new career is positively challenging the status quo.”