Oberlin's Women: A Legacy of Leadership & Activism

Lynn Oberhaus Kohlman

Lynn Oberhaus Kohlman (1946-2008, OC 1968) was a model, writer, creative director, and photographer. She enrolled at Oberlin College to study art history. Classmates remember when representatives from Vogue magazine came to the Oberlin campus to find models. Kohlman was one of the students they selected, and she soon began modelling. While at Oberlin, she also spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, where she helped restore paintings that were damaged after the Arno River flood of 1966. She graduated from Oberlin in 1968. Kohlman was recruited a few years later by Wilhelmina Models and began modelling professionally by 1970. Her first modeling job was for the New York Times Magazine. She was also the cover girl for many magazines, including French Vogue, Harpers & Queen, and Elle. Kohlman had a keen interest in photography. While modeling in Europe, she began learning photography techniques from many prominent photographers, including Richard Avedon and Irving Penn. In the 1980s, she began photographing ads and portraits for fashion designers such as Calvin Klein. Her photographs appeared in publications like Vogue and Interview magazine. Kohlman was appointed the fashion director of Donna Karan in 1988 and helped develop the DKNY line. She worked at DKNY for 11 years before briefly working as the creative director of Tommy Hilfiger. Kohlman had suffered from breast cancer in the 1990s, which later went into remission. In 2002, she developed both breast and later brain cancer. Even after having multiple surgeries due to her sickness, Kohlman strongly believed in the beauty of all bodies and advocated for body acceptance. She died in 2008 as a result of her illness.

Sources:
Horwell, Veronica. “Lynn Kohlman.” The Guardian, September 24, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/25/fashion.cancer

“In Memory: Lynn Kohlman (Oberhaus).” Oberlin College and Conservatory: Class of 1968. Accessed June 25, 2020. http://www.oberlincollegecon68.com/class_profile.cfm?member_id=7887704

Wilson, Eric. “Lynn Kohlman, 62, Model and Muse.” The New York Times (New York, NY), September 19, 2008.

This page has paths:

This page references: