I am Moroccan and Egyptian but was born and raised in Amsterdam. I feel so blessed to come from so many different places. Amsterdam is such a small city, but it’s so vibrant. At school, we had kids from all over—China, Pakistan. It was a mix of cultures, and I find that very beautiful. It makes you understand the world better.
The most beautiful place in the world to me is Cairo, where my father was born. I went in October last year for my birthday. Seeing the pyramids was so crazy and magical. To just be like “Oh my God, I’m from here” is even more crazy. Before that time, I did a DNA test. I found out so many things that I didn’t know, and one was that I am 70 percent Egyptian. So I knew I had to learn more about my culture. And of course, the other most beautiful place is Morocco. My mother’s family is originally from Zagora. My mom lived there until she was like 11 and then moved to Casablanca. But my favorite place in Morocco is Zagora because it’s in the desert, and when I went there I visited my mom’s cousins, and they live underground in caves. To live with them for a week was so mind-blowing. I started using a lot of Moroccan argan oil and herbs in my beauty routine when I was growing up. I call my mom the herb doctor because she creates her own stuff from, like, bananas. One thing I learned from her was to do a hair mask with honey and banana. I do that once a month and it really hydrates my hair.
I grew up scrubbing my body. Because in Morocco, you go to the hammam, right? And they have this lady who just lays you on this table and scrubs your whole body. All the dead skin comes right off. So I do a scrub like that in the shower weekly.
Oud scents to me are the most beautiful smell in the world. And that comes from my culture. Moroccans, Egyptians, the Arab people—we’re really into incense, oud, musk, and amber. When I smell those, I get so many flashbacks to my childhood. Day to day, I wear an oil that I bought in Saudi Arabia, and it’s pure oud. I don’t remember how much it cost, but that shit is real, real, real. You literally need only one little drop and then you smell like that the whole night out. People will be like, “Oh, Imaan walked in the room.” And I’m like, “Yeah, my oud!”
I have a couple of necklaces from my grandmother who passed away, and wearing them reminds me of her. One of her necklaces stands for power and freedom. And I think especially being a woman in the ’70s in Morocco, it was not easy. Wearing them reminds me to push through and kind of continue what I’m doing and to stay strong.
I recently posted a couple of notes on my mirror in my apartment, and I look at them before starting my day. And one is just saying thank you to—I mean, I believe in God, so I would say, “Thank you, God, for another day.” And the other one just says, “Be strong today—you’ve got this.” Those are just small reminders to be like, “Oh, yeah, let me say this.” Because when you wake up and you get on your phone and there’s emails and there’s so much happening, it’s nice to look at those notes, and it really helps.
I’m a human being at the end of the day, and though I felt beautiful on this shoot, there are moments when I feel like shit and I don’t feel good in my body. Being a model doesn’t mean that you’re always perfect. We go through stuff every day. You have family issues. That’s all just part of it. I feel like shit most of the time! And that’s totally normal. It’s important to be in that moment and to feel it, I think, and not to be hard on yourself when you do feel like that.
My family taught me that beauty comes from the inside. My mom preaches to me, “You’re beautiful. You’re blessed by God. But the most important thing is your heart and how you deal with people and how you care for other people.” Honestly, if you have that, then your beauty just amplifies.
Hair: Tamas Tuzes for Oribe; Makeup: Marcelo Gutierrez for Shiseido; Manicure: Aja Walton for Essie; Set Design: Two Hawks Young. Special Thanks To 1896 Studios And Stages.
