Tag: kenyan model

Boundary-breaking Muslim supermodel Halima Aden has made history once again by becoming the first model to wear a hijab and burkini in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

In 2016, Aden became the first contestant in Miss Minnesota USA to wear a hijab and burkini, ultimately reaching the pageant’s semi-finals.

“There are so many Muslim women that feel like they don’t fit society’s standard of beauty,” she told CNN at the time. “I just wanted to tell them it’s OK to be different, being different is beautiful, too.”

She shared a similar sentiment at her Sports Illustrated shoot. “Growing up in the United States, I never really felt represented because I never could flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab,” she said in a behind-the-scenes video. “Don’t be afraid to be the first.”

Aden, who is Somali-American, grew up in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, before moving with her family to the US at the age of seven.

Her Sports Illustrated shoot, photographed by Yu Tsai, took place at Kenya’s Watamu Beach.

“I keep thinking (back) to six-year-old me who, in this same country, was in a refugee camp,” Aden told the magazine. “So to grow up to live the American dream [and] to come back to Kenya and shoot for SI in the most beautiful parts of Kenya — I don’t think that’s a story that anybody could make up.”

Again, this isn’t the first time Aden has made history — or even the first time this year. In March, she was one of three black hijabi models featured on the cover of Vogue Arabia — the magazine’s first group hijabi cover — alongside Ikram Abdi Omar and Amina Adan.

In April 2018, she broke new ground in British Vogue, as the first hijabi woman on the cover.

“I empower women by staying true to myself and also encouraging them to go out and not be scared to be the first,” Aden told CNN on International Women’s Day in March. “If you don’t see yourself represented in any given field, take it upon yourself to be the one.”

Content courtesy of CNN & Nairobi fashion hub 

Brenda Wairimu is a Kenyan actress and model known for her role in the soap opera Mali. She is most notable for playing various roles in several television series.

Brenda Wairimu was born on 3rd May 1989 in Mombasa, Kenya. She is a Kenyan actress and a TV Show co host of Lets Talk in Ebru Tv.

Brenda says that it was not easy for her to break to the acting scene since most directors said her look was not right, she was either too short or too light. Her big break came when she landed the Changing times role because the directors were looking for a Swahili girl and Brenda’s was perfect for the role.

Brenda an Juliani have been in a romantic relationship but they like to keep it private that makes people speculate about their seperation.During ‘Lets Talk’ Brenda told her co host how she made a move on Juliani.

“I actually met J on social media,I slide in his DM. You might not know this about me, but I love rap, hip hop and all that and I was a big, huge fan of his and I used to do short braids when I knew he was going to perform so that I can shake my head. So when I got to the industry I was like, maybe now I can get to meet this icon, this person that I really enjoyed his music. So I was like, hey I like your music and what not and the rest is history.”

Brenda has a baby with her boyfriend Juliani whose name is Amor. Benda keeps her baby away from the public dormain. Brenda said that the reason she keeps her baby from the public is in case she grows up to be a private person and wants a quiet life away from the publicity of her famous parents.

Content courtesy of Information cradle & Nairobi fashion hub