Zendaya Channels 'First Black Supermodel' For Essence Cover: 'I'm Very Proud Of It'

Zendaya paid tribute to a trailblazer in her Essence magazine cover, channeling Donyale Luna, who is generally cited as the first Black supermodel.

Gracing the Essence’s November/December issue, Zendaya, 24, posed for four different covers photographed by AB+DM, recreating some of Luna's most iconic shots.

In one photo, the "Euphoria" actress stuns in a sheer black net gown by Gigi Hunter that is identical to a dress Luna wore in 1967. Other covers featured Zendaya posing in a zebra-striped Khaite dress and a mod metal mini by Fansyxvs, both of which are very similar to some of Luna's past outfits.

In her interview with Essence, the youngest lead drama actress winner in Emmys history revealed that she often pays tribute to past style icons with her own looks.

“A lot of what I do, specifically within fashion, is a tribute to fashion icons who came before me — many of whom are black women,” Zendaya told the magazine. “I love the way it turned out. I’m very proud of it. It’s one of my favorite cover shoots I’ve ever done.”

Essence shared Zendaya's covers on its Instagram page, and each one received thumbs up from netizens. "Iconic," one commented.

"Now that's a magazine cover!" another Instagram user wrote.

"My goddess," a third person said.

Luna became the first Black supermodel to appear on the cover of British Vogue in 1966. Over the course of her modeling career, she posed for famed fashion photographers Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and David Bailey, The Telegraph reported.

At the age of 33, however, Luna died of an accidental heroin overdose on May 17, 1979, in Rome, Italy. She left behind an 18-month-old daughter named Dream, whom she shared with husband Luigi Cazzaniga, an Italian photographer.

Zendaya also shared snaps from her Essence photoshoot on her own Instagram. In one post, she said her cover was a tribute to the "iconic" supermodel she was channeling.

"This was an absolute honor to grace this very special 50th anniversary cover of @essence while paying tribute to the iconic Donyale Luna, often credited as the first black supermodel," she wrote.

Essence’s November/December 2020 issue will be available starting Tuesday.