Images courtesy of Beau Monde Society

Rwandan model and artist Lilian Uwanyuze is the muse for a sunny, beachside photo story shot by the Beau Monde Society, the New York City-based eco-focused fashion communications agency founded by Jennifer Nnamani in 2013. Nnamani is also the brains behind the brand’s photo campaigns.

“Uwanyuze embodies the interpretation of beauty and mystery,” Nnamani says of the Los Angeles-based model. A Rwandan of both Hutu and Tutsi background, Uwanyuze’s childhood, says Nnamani, “was enveloped in moments of solitude, surrounded by the deadly chaos in Rwanda. Yet, she overcame this tragedy and blossomed into a colorful personality.”

Nnamani flew out to L.A. for the shoot. While there, Uwanyuze spoke about moving to America at the age of 15, shortly after the end of the Rwandan Genocide, and beginning to “understand the complexities of her unusual background.”

“As a wildflower that grew in the midst of these life-changing events, she remains poised,” Nnamani says.

Nnamani’s Beau Monde Society is currently gearing up for the fourth installment of their Fashion Envie (Fashion + Environment + Life) eco-collective, April 22-23, 2016, in New York City.

Keep up with the Beau Monde Society on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Uwanyuze is on Instagram at @lili_ann.

Beau Monde Society's Wildflower Photo Credits

Creative Director/Coordinator/Fashion Storyteller: Jennifer Nnamani of Beau Monde Society

Photographer: Osose Oboh

Makeup Artist & Hairstylist: Sameerah Hoddison

Model/Muse: Lilian Uwanyuze