Top 11 African Female Models To Watch
Here are 11 African female models that need to be on your radar as they make waves in the fashion industry.
Fashion is inextricably linked to its models, and models of color consistently serve as muses for top designers.
<p>We are celebrating the 11 African female models below as they make major waves in the industry.</p><p>ICYMI, take a look at our top 12 African male models to know <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/top-12-african-male-models/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><h2>1. Nyadak “Duckie" Thot (Australia/South Sudan)</h2><p>Height: 5′ 10″</p><p>Agencies: New York Model Management, Premium Models (Paris), d'management group (Milan), Storm (London), Chadwick Models (Sydney)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" frameborder="0" height="722" id="instagram-embed-0" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY4A6xGAxwM/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A48459.16500000001%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Duckie</strong> went from placing third on Australia's Next Top Model to making an international name for herself. She left home and headed to NYC in search of acceptance of diversity and she found it. She's spoken out about her struggles with natural hair in the industry and is very conscious of the fact that she is a representation for girls that look just like her. When <strong>Rihanna</strong> <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/in-brief/rihannas-super-inclusive-make-line-finally/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">launched her eponymous makeup line</a> this year, she used this model to portray just how diverse the line was.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>The depth of this model's skin jumps out at you. She literally resembles a Barbie doll. It come as no surprise that her career has taken off! She has graced an all-black 2018 <em>Pirelli</em> calendar, was in Rihanna's most recent <em>Paper</em> magazine feature and on its Fall '17 cover, landed a <em>Vogue Australia</em> editorial and <em>Harper's Bazaar</em> Kazakhstan cover, and has ripped the runway for both <strong>Yeezy</strong> and <strong>FentyxPuma</strong>. Her list of clients include <strong>Helmut Lang</strong>, <strong>DSquared2</strong>, <strong>Jeremy Scott</strong>, <strong>Mansur Gavriel</strong>, <strong>Moschino</strong>, <strong>Puma</strong>, and <strong>Sephora</strong>.</p><h2>2. Adwoa Aboah (Britain/Ghana)</h2><p>Height: 5′ 8″</p><p>Agencies: DNA Models (New York), Viva Paris (Paris), TESS (London), Viva (Barcelona), The Lions (New York/Los Angeles)</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
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</script></p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" frameborder="0" height="746" id="instagram-embed-1" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYifzlPBkJp/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A48467.57%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Adwoa</strong> was “born on a Monday" to a mother that's a successful agent and a father that is one of the most sought after location scouts in London. Fashion was a step that made sense.</p><p>She's a model in peak demand. She's worked for <strong>Burberry</strong>, <strong>Calvin Klein</strong>, <strong>Fendi</strong>, <strong>DKNY</strong>, <strong>Alexander Wang</strong>, <strong>Theory</strong>, <strong>H&M</strong>, <strong>Aldo</strong>, <strong>Versace</strong> , <strong>Topshop</strong>, <strong>Rihanna x Puma</strong>, <strong>Kenzo</strong>, <strong>Simone Rocha</strong>, <strong>Chanel</strong>, <strong>Dior</strong> and <strong>Erdem</strong>, to name a few. Her caramel skin and freckles have even landed her on <em>i-D</em>, <em>Italian Vogue</em> and <em>American Vogue</em> covers alongside <strong>Gigi Hadid</strong> and <strong>Kendall Jenner</strong>.</p><p>The Italian Vogue cover we just spoke of came months after a suicide attempt and a subsequent coma from the trauma. She was depressed and addicted to drugs, but came out triumphant. Her triumph would be the founding of an online platform, <strong><a href="http://www.gurlstalk.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Gurls Talk</a></strong>, to help girls like her deal with their sexuality, mental health, and body image.</p><h2>3. Maria Borges (Angola)</h2><p>Height 5' 11"</p><p>Agencies: IMG (New York/Paris/London/Milan), Traffic (Barcelona), Mega Model (Hamburg), We Are (Lisboa), MP (Stockholm)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" frameborder="0" height="722" id="instagram-embed-2" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYP0VYHgt96/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A48470.90000000001%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Maria</strong> is a global ambassador for <strong>L'Oreal Paris</strong> and has graced Victoria's Secret's fashion show on many an occasion, once in particular, as the first black model to do so with natural hair. The beauty's list of clients include <strong>Balmain</strong>, <strong>Etro</strong>, <strong>Dior</strong>, <strong>Gap</strong>, <strong>Oscar de La Renta</strong>, <strong>Tom Ford</strong>, and <strong>Zac Posen</strong>. She's come a very long way from the orphan girl working in a supermarket to make ends meet.</p><h2>4. Fatima Siad (Somalia/Ethiopia)</h2><p>Height 5' 12''</p><p>Agencies: One Management (New York), Munich Models (Munich), Modellink (Stockholm)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-3" frameborder="0" height="885" id="instagram-embed-3" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZrGAsrBnXO/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A3%2C%22os%22%3A52459.565%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>After placing third in America's Next Top Model, <strong>Fatima's</strong> career took off. You can spot this beauty in editorials for American and Spanish <em>Vogue</em>, <em>Elle</em>, Australian and Indonesian <em>Harper's Bazaar</em>, <em>Marie Claire</em>, and <em>Cosmopolitan</em>. She's worked for <strong>Giorgio Armani</strong>, <strong>Hermés</strong>, <strong>Ralph Lauren</strong>, <strong>Dries Van Noten</strong>, <strong>Max Azria</strong>, <strong>Ralph Lauren</strong>, <strong>Marc Jacobs</strong>, <strong>Hervé Léger</strong>, <strong>Tiffany & Co.</strong>, <strong>Armani Exchange</strong>, <strong>BCBG</strong>, and <strong>Liz Claiborne</strong>.</p><p>What's most moving about this model is her candid talks on experiencing female genital cutting in her youth and fleeing her home for safety here in the United States.</p><h2>5. Halima Aden (Somalia)</h2><p>Height 5' 6.6''</p><p>Agency: IMG (New York/Paris/London/Milan)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" frameborder="0" height="885" id="instagram-embed-4" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BV0FoQsg5am/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A53455.22%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Halima</strong> was born in a Kenyan refugee camp and moved to the States at the age of 6. Scouted after competing in a Miss Minnesota USA pageant, she walked a <strong>Yeezy</strong> runway last February and went from that to <strong>Maxmara</strong>, <strong>Albert Ferretti</strong>, <strong>American Eagle</strong>, <strong>Fenty Beauty</strong>, a <em>Vogue</em> Arabia cover, a <em>Glamour</em> cover and an <em>Allure</em> cover. She redefines beauty standards by doing all the aforementioned in her hijab. She is breaking barriers for Muslim women everywhere.</p><h2>6. Ayaana Aschkar-Stevens (Britain/Ghana)</h2><p>Height 5' 9.5"</p><p>Agency: Premier Model Management (London)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-5" frameborder="0" height="886" id="instagram-embed-5" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPACZqIAUbC/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A5%2C%22os%22%3A54461.395000000004%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Ayaana</strong> has been in an <strong>Ivy Park</strong> editorial and hopes to work for brands like <strong>Chanel</strong> in the near future.</p><h2>7. Aamito Lagum (Uganda)</h2><p>Height 6'</p><p>Agencies: DNA Model Management (New York), VIVA Model Management (Paris, London, Barcelona), Why Not Model Management (Milan)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-6" frameborder="0" height="886" id="instagram-embed-6" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMoiIbJA3iH/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A6%2C%22os%22%3A57453.755000000005%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Because she is the first winner of “Africa's Next Top Model," <strong>Aamito</strong> has been in the industry since 2013. The rebel skipped out on law school for her career! She has worked with <strong>J. Mendel</strong>, <strong>Tadashi Shoji</strong>, <strong>Yeezy</strong>, <strong>Ohne Titel</strong>, <strong>Zac Posen</strong>, <strong>Marc Jacobs</strong>, <strong>Paul Smith</strong>, <strong>Bottega Veneta</strong> and <strong>H&M</strong>. She has appeared in <em>Elle</em>, <em>Allure</em>, <em>W</em> Magazine, <em>British Vogue</em> and <em>Vanity Fair</em> and spoke out against slanderous trolls who berated her when <strong>MAC Cosmetics</strong> posted a picture of her luscious lips.</p><h2>8. Khoudia Diop (Senegal)</h2><p>Height 5' 8"</p><p>Agencies: The Colored Girl, Electric Republic</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-7" frameborder="0" height="886" id="instagram-embed-7" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZBsrBXFnqP/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A7%2C%22os%22%3A58450.985%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Teased as a child for her skin color, <strong>Khoudia</strong> has since been placed in a campaign for French cosmetics brand <strong>Make Up For Ever</strong> and has been making major strides in the industry advocating for people with skin with as much depth as hers. Revisit her photo story celebrating her <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/culture-2/khoudia-diop-celebrates-nyenyo-culture-stunning-series-senegal-independence-day/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nyenyo heritage</a>.</p><h2>9. Amilna Estevao (Angola)</h2><p>Height 5' 10"</p><p>Agencies: The Society Management (New York), Elite (Paris, Milan, London), Da Banda (Luanda)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-8" frameborder="0" height="807" id="instagram-embed-8" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYuVloUHl88/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A8%2C%22os%22%3A58457.8%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>In 2013, 14-year-old <strong>Amilna</strong> landed an Elite Look contract in her capital city and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Her resume is a laundry list of some of the most highly coveted brands in the fashion industry: <strong>Givenchy</strong>, <strong>Lanvin</strong>, <strong>Balmain</strong>, <strong>Alexander Wang</strong>, <strong>Burberry</strong>, <strong>Phillip Lim</strong>, <strong>DVF</strong>, <strong>Dolce & Gabbana</strong>, <strong>Express</strong>, <strong>Fendi</strong>, <strong>Kenzo</strong> and more.</p><h2>10. Herieth Paul (Tanzania)</h2><p>Height 5' 11"</p><p>Agencies: Women Management (New York, Paris, Milan), Elite Model Management (London), M4 Models (Hamburg) Folio Montreal (Montreal), AMTI: Toronto (Toronto)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-9" frameborder="0" height="722" id="instagram-embed-9" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYI6GTUl4P2/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A9%2C%22os%22%3A59452.45500000001%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Herieth</strong> has worked for <strong>Victoria's Secret</strong>, <strong>Nina Ricci</strong>, <strong>Zimmermann</strong>, <strong>Adam Selman</strong>, <strong>Stella McCartney</strong>, <strong>Lacoste</strong>, <strong>Tom Ford</strong>, <strong>Calvin Klein</strong>, <strong>Armani</strong>, <strong>Cavalli</strong> and <strong>3.1 Phillip Lim</strong>. She has appeared in editorials for <em>i-D</em>, <em>Vogue Italia</em>, and <em>Teen Vogue</em> and graced the cover of <em>Canadian Elle</em>. Her beautiful skin has even landed her a role as a face for <strong>Maybelline New York</strong>.</p><h2>11. Imaan Hammam (Netherlands/Morocco/Egypt)</h2><p>Height 5' 10"</p><p>Agencies: DNA Model Management (New York), VIVA Model Management (Paris, London, Barcelona), Why Not Model Management (Milan), CODE Management (Amsterdam)</p><iframe allowtransparency="true" class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-10" frameborder="0" height="885" id="instagram-embed-10" scrolling="no" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY_2ZPBHNK5/embed/?cr=1&v=7&wp=673#%7B%22ci%22%3A10%2C%22os%22%3A60452.145000000004%7D" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); margin: 1px 1px 12px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: none; display: block; padding: 0px;"></iframe><script async="" defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p><strong>Imaan</strong> prides herself on being an African-Arab model opening doors for girls just like her. The Muslim model celebrates all aspects of who she is. She's covered <em>American Vogue</em> on two occasions and has received <strong>Anna Wintour's</strong> applaud many a time. She's worked for <strong>Burberry</strong>, <strong>Alexander McQueen</strong>, <strong>Maison Margiela</strong>, <strong>Givenchy</strong>, <strong>Marc Jacobs</strong>, <strong>Prada</strong>, <strong>Michael Kors</strong>, <strong>Moschino</strong>, <strong>Chanel</strong>, <strong>DKNY</strong>, <strong>Jean Paul Gaultier</strong>, <strong>Hugo Boss</strong>, <strong>Stella McCartne</strong>y, <strong>Oscar de la Renta</strong>, and much more. Her career is on fire!</p>
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