Wabaiya Kariuki is a 24 year old who has just completed her degree in Actuarial Science. She works at a start up insurance agency called Mule Insurance Agency Limited.
Apart from that, she is a high fashion and commercial model having worked with a number of designers from East Africa and has been featured in some online Pan African campaigns.
She enjoys singing, travelling, listening to music, hanging out with friends and watching movies. She is also a singer and in her free time, she teaches violin at a start up music school in her area. The most influential person in her life is her late mother who was a Singer, Fashion Designer, Model and a completely lovable person. If she wins the crown, she hopes to advocate for mental health among the youth in her country.
Content courtesy of Miss Universe & Nairobi fashion hub
Bodysuit haider ackermann. earrings vintage from early halloween.
On Christmas Day 2019, Adut turned 20, leaving her teenage life behind, the last year of which saw her pick up Model Of The Year awards from The Fashion Awards and models.com — an incredible year, but just one of an incredible career so far. For Adut’s third i-D cover, who better, then, to interview her than the Naomi Campbell (13-time i-D cover star)? A quick phone call across Paris later, and…..
Swimsuit fendi. tights calzedonia. earrings and belt vintage from albright fashion library. shoes y/project.
Naomi: Good morning, Adut! Adut: Hey mama!
How are you doing today? I’m in Paris and I’m a little tired. How are you?
I’m in Paris too. I’m at the airport. I’m on my way to Lagos. Oh yeah! Were you here? I missed you.
I’ve come straight from LA to Paris. Then I’m in Nigeria for one night, then getting back on the plane and straight back to LA. Oh my god!
The Dior show looked gorgeous yesterday though, it’s a shame I missed it. But let’s start. Let’s get to it. First I want to ask you how you feel about turning 20 in December. You’re not a teenager anymore! It feels weird! Maybe it’s all in my head, but I feel like the minute I turned 20 I changed… Like on my birthday, I had this moment of reflection. Maybe I’ve got a new attitude towards life now? I feel like I’m older though – it’s crazy to me that I’ve just turned 20.
You’re very mature in a lot of ways, even though you’re still young. You told me this Christmas your mum was going to visit her family and you were going to take care of your siblings. I have more responsibilities than most people who are 20. So much has gone on in my life already — in my personal life and in my career.
Top and pantashoes balenciaga. belt gucci. earrings vintage from early halloween.
I remember the first time I saw your face, and I thought just, oh my goodness! It was like — bam! Here’s a star. I saw it immediately. I remember when I closed the Saint Laurent show under the Eiffel Tower. You were backstage, and from there, that was it. We’d already met but then we became friends. We exchanged numbers. You texted me, and it felt really supportive. At that moment I needed that so much. I never thought that kind of support would come from the Naomi Campbell. I felt that love from you, I felt that connection.
I find it so important, because I came up with a group of girls who all really supported each other, and – although I don’t think it’ll ever be the same — I didn’t see the same camaraderie in the generations that followed. But I care about your wellbeing, because without your wellbeing you can’t do all this. One thing I wanted to ask you about was your experience as a black woman in our industry. And since you started out as a model what changes you’ve seen, what developments — how do you feel? You know, you’ve helped to create these developments and changes, too. This is only my fourth year working as a model, but in those four years I’ve seen a lot of change. The biggest change we can all acknowledge is that the industry is getting more diverse. When I started – when I made my debut — there were so few other black girls, and now there are so many. There are models of colour from so many places around the world working in the industry now, and it’s incredible to see. It makes me so happy.
Dress bottega veneta. belt (top) marc jacobs vintage from albright fashion library. belt (bottom) and bags chanel. earrings vintage from early halloween.
I’ve very much observed you helping to make this change. You have made this advance in inclusion in the industry – but how did you feel about it at the beginning? To walk for Saint Laurent was amazing. It is a dream to be a part of that, to have the opportunity to walk in that show. But it threw me, because it’s amazing to be working in fashion, but then you think about the lack of diversity there was in the industry then, and you know it’s not right. But across the seasons it started to get better, and now it’s so much better! And it can always get even better.
One thing that makes me so proud of you is the charity work you’ve been doing. You’ve been doing it for a while now, working with the UN Refugee Agency. It’s obviously clear what drives you to give back. But I find that the hope you give is such a powerful thing. It was something I had always wanted to do, before even modelling, and now I just want to do it more than ever. I actually want to start my own foundation, my own organisation – it’s something deep in my heart. I don’t know what the exact steps are going forward, but I have a lot of support.
You have such a huge platform now. You have a lot of people who look up to you. You’ve given hope to so many. The work with the UN, everyone knows the reason for it and why I’m passionate about it, why I want to give something back. I want to support them in any way I can.
How did it feel when you won Model of the Year in December at the Fashion Awards? I mean I was incredibly proud to have some of the most important people in my life there – you and Edward and Pierpaolo [Piccioli]. I love Pierpaolo so much, he’s such a special being. You all have such a special place in my heart. I said this in my speech, you’re my family. I’m not great at reading from a script, writing a speech: I stutter, I mess up. So, with that speech, I just let my heart speak. That award felt bigger than me. That award felt like it was for every single little boy and girl, every woman and man, anyone that finds representation and validation in the work I’ve done. If little girls see me on social media, and get inspired, then that award is for them. I want to inspire other black girls to do this.
I love getting messages from people when they say, “You’ve made our skin colour more acceptable.” It’s also why, for example, I’m heading to Lagos right now. It’s so important to keep in touch with our continent, to promote it, because our African continent is emerging now and it’s beautiful. It really is, and it gets portrayed so poorly, but I’m happy that people like you are changing the perception of Africa.
You’re using your platform in the right way to change things, too. I’m trying my best. I feel very fortunate to be in the position I am, to have the platform I have, to spread a message that’s true and that needs to be heard. I want to raise awareness about the things that are overlooked and ignored. Anyone who doesn’t like it? That’s not my concern. I’m learning to speak my truth and stand my ground. You have to fight for what you believe in.
You have the right to say it and the platform to say it from. You know I thought I would never be able to use social media, but I love it. Let’s not deny that we all like to spy on other people and see what they’re up to. But it’s also a way to support each other together and create a community. And if I want to set someone straight, I get on my social media and set them straight. I love being expressive on social media. It can be beautiful, you can be so free, you can do whatever you want! No one can say no to you.
Top and skirt jeremy scott. earrings vintage from early halloween. shoes jimmy choo.
You’ve achieved a lot in your four years working. And I want to ask, what are your other goals? What’s left to achieve? Personally and professionally. What kind of role model do you want to be to these young girls? Honestly, I just want to be comfortable, happy, content… You can’t predict the future but I’d love to have a family. Career-wise, I want to do everything I’ve always wanted to do and then more. I don’t want to be known as just a model — I want to be remembered as someone who did something, someone who made a big impact.
I’m not worried because everything you do makes a big impact. You speak from your heart. You are sincere. There’s no bullshit. That’s why I love you. Everything I do, I feel like it’s for all of us because it takes all of us. If I didn’t have the support I have from you, then I don’t think I would have made it to where I am today.
OK, one more question, and then I’ve got to jump on a plane. I want to go to the motherland with you!
Absolutely. Let’s make it happen! This year I have to go home. I need to. I need to put my foot down in the motherland. I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.
You’re coming! OK, this question. I want to know what keeps you excited and enthusiastic about the business? I want to know what keeps you going!
For me, I still love to be in front of a camera, to be transformed, to be made into a different person, to become this character. I love the storytelling of fashion. And when it comes to it, I just love what I do. I love shooting, now. I used to really be a show girl but I feel like I get more and more excited every time I get in front of a camera at the moment, and that I’m getting better every time, too. I think I’ve learned the art of transforming myself, becoming a character — depending on the outfit, the surroundings, what the photographer wants.
Jacket dior. briefs araks. belt (top) vintage phi, belt (bottom) vintage yves saint laurent and earrings vintage from albright fashion library. shoes the attico.
The clothes are so important. They set the tone. What you’re wearing transforms you. I can’t tell you how I’m going to be on set, because it depends on what I’m wearing. But isn’t it so fun? I’m falling in love with it more and more every day.
This is the start of a new decade. How do you see our industry changing throughout it? Where do we want to be in 2030? I have so much hope and so much faith, I’m so optimistic to see how far we can go in the next ten years. I think we want to see more diversity, more inclusivity. We want to get to a place where we don’t even have to talk about it. Where it’s not forced.
It feels like everyone is talking to each other on panel discussions about diversity but let’s not talk about it anymore. Let’s do it. And that’s our work for the next decade. I want to revisit this conversation with you in ten years time, and look back at how things have changed. And let’s make it a totally different conversation we’re having in 2030 about what we want in that decade. All I want is to just be able to celebrate beautiful models of colour.
I’m so proud of you! Have a great time at Paris Couture! Stay hydrated, drink water, get enough sleep, stay healthy, don’t go to too many parties. Although if you work hard you have to play hard, too — have some fun, that’s what it’s all about. Thank you!
Dress moschino. earrings vintage from albright fashion library.
Dress versace. belt vintage from resurrection. earrings vintage from early halloween. shoes christian louboutin.
Top stella mccartney. shorts jacquemus. earrings vintage from early halloween. shoes the attico.
Dress saint laurent by anthony vaccarello. earrings vintage from albright fashion library. watch cartier.
Bodysuit haider ackermann. earrings vintage from early halloween.
Credits Photography Daniel Jackson Styling Julia Sarr-Jamois Hair Esther Langham at Art + Commerce using R+Co “High Dive” Moisture and Shine Cream. Make-up Frank B at The Wall Group. Nail technician Yuko Tsuchihashi at Susan Price NYC. Photography assistance Jeffrey Pearson and Jeremy Hall. Styling assistance Christina Smith, Nick Centofanti and Lily Zhang. Hair assistance Gabe Jenkins. Make-up assistance Elle Haein Kim. Production Rebekah Mikale. Casting director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING. Model Adut Akech at The Society.
Shiona Turini’s history with Barbie dolls is similar to that of many black women. Store shelves would be brimming with Barbie dolls in a range of different hair color shades—blonde, brunette, red, black, etc.—but when it came to complexion shades, options were few and far between. Then, in 1980, Turini’s sigh of relief came in the form of a black Barbie with an afro, clad in a fire red dress with gold accessories. Now, the former fashion editor and costume designer is making her own Barbie history by collaborating with Barbie Style to produce a a diverse collection of black dolls in honor of Black History Month.
“It was important for me to reflect Barbie as an icon through the lens of black culture during Black History Month,” Turini said in a statement. “I drew inspiration from the first black Barbie, who debuted her all-red look in 1980.
My vision was to style diverse dolls in bold looks with themes seen throughout my work, like contrasting snakeskin and leopard challenging traditional uniformity.”
Turini’s four-pronged collection showcases the versatility of black beauty and features 10 models of different skin tones and sizes, including a doll in a wheelchair, in various color palettes, including soft sherbet colors, all black, brown mixed with snakeskin, and red, the latter inspired by and featuring the first black Barbie doll.
The creative mind behind the movie “Queen & Slim” has designed Barbie’s latest looks, in honor of Black History Month.
Mattel worked with costume designer Shiona Turini to outfit a set of Barbies in 10 different hair styles, skin tones and body types.
“Thank you @barbiestyle — for collaborating with me to create Barbies with braids, finger waves and everything in between,” Turini writes in an Instagram caption announcing the collaboration. “Chicks by the layers, all different flavors. And even a curvy doll, in a crop top, with waist length twists. Baby Shiona is PROUD.”
Each look for the Barbies was inspired by three color themes: monochromatic, snakeskin mixed with black and white and sherbet colors. Though the outfits themselves aren’t for sale, the dolls modeling them are part of a new release of Black History Month Barbie dolls.
“My vision was to style diverse dolls in bold looks with themes seen throughout my work, like contrasting snakeskin and leopard, challenging traditional uniformity,” says Turini, while adding that she spent many childhood hours dressing Barbies.
“I grew up obsessed with @barbie and while she was one of my first fashion icons, I clearly remember searching shelves for a doll that looked like me and coming up empty handed,” she writes on Instagram.
Turini drew her inspiration from the first black Barbie, introduced in 1980 dressed in a sparkling red dress with an Afro. Turini’s red collection pays homage to the doll. Mattel has also brought back that first black Barbie, dressed in bold red as a 40th anniversary black Barbie doll.
Lately, Mattel has been releasing a gamut of diverse dolls in different sizes, colors, abilities and professions to keep up with the times. Recent additions include the gender-neutral doll, the Barbie Fashionistas line, the Barbie Wellness collection and Judge Barbie.
On Instagram, Turini points out that she is “the curvy Barbie in the crop top,” which is the fourth from the left. “Thank you @barbiestyle for making my childhood dreams come true, customizing these @queenandslim inspired snake skin boots + bodysuits, going thru the painstaking process of giving Barbie twists and allowing me the freedom to create something special so that my community can see themselves represented in such an iconic brand,” she writes on Instagram. “Life is good in the dream house.”
In the red collection, you can clearly see Turini’s personal style in her own red-clad outfit on Instagram, and this red collection reflects the first black Barbie who shined in red sparkles. “Here she is, on her customized throne, surrounded by friends created and styled by me. I hope other young children, and adult Barbie lovers, are as excited to see themselves reflected in these dolls as I am.”
In the “brights” collection, Turini says, “While flipping through styles a sherbet-green coat totally captured my eye. I loved it so much, I built an entire vignette around it.”
Content courtesy of Shiona Turini & Nairobi fashion hub
Curvy shoppers still face a host of obstacles on their quest for runway-worthy style.
Before we talk about just how many NYFW designers show and then actually produce clothing for plus-size shoppers, let’s address the elephant in the room. New York Fashion Week is dwindling. What was once one of the industry’s largest semi-annual affairs has shrunk in size substantially over the past several seasons. Its fall 2020 schedule, which spanned from February 7 to 12, hosted 69 designers recognized by the official NYFW calendar put forth by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). That’s compared to 77 who showed their Spring collections in September. As we noted in our size report last season, the diminishing roster gives the impression that more designers are increasing their size ranges than is actually the case.
Fall 2020 saw 32% of designers up their size offerings, with 22% now producing a size 20 or above. On a superficial level, that’s great news! Yet those improvements occurred in tandem with a few notable shortcomings, like a 16% overall decrease in designers who produce a size 14 and above. Plus, Tanya Taylor, Tommy Hilfiger, and Studio 189, who went up to size 22 last season, were absent from the FW20 schedule, as was longtime size-diversity advocate Christian Siriano, who chose to show his collection the day before the official start of the NYFW schedule (and featured Rachel Bilson, carrying a bag made of literal junk).
It’s worth pointing out that of those designers who introduced newly extended sizes this season, nearly one-third did so with exclusive collections for plus-size webstore 11 Honoré. Though adding more sizes and making clothing accessible to more people is never a bad thing, it’s peculiar that the likes of Cynthia Rowley and Jason Wu would do so through a third-party website rather than simply upping the sizing on their official sites, which still offer a relatively limited range. This feels like a half-step in the right direction. Are there more designer clothes for plus-size people? Literally, yes. But they’ve got to hit up a niche, plus-only shopping destination to find it; they’re not being invited to the designer boutique (or website) enjoyed by their thin counterparts.
InStyle surveyed the size ranges of every brand on this season’s NYFW schedule. Read on for more information about which designers are pushing toward inclusivity (albeit sometimes only through 11 Honoré), and which could still use a serious reality check. To highlight the impact of 11 Honoré on brands’ sizes, we placed an asterisk alongside the name of every designer who has released extended sizes at that e-retailer and not on their namesake websites. It’s important to note that these are still the real-deal designer clothes, and not diffusion lines or mass-retailer collaborations; any of those are excluded from this tally.
A few things about our survey.
We only surveyed designers that could be found on the official CFDA calendar here.
We only included women’s ready-to-wear brands (denim and men’s, for example, were excluded).
We did not include designers that only create custom clothing or do not sell in retail (like The Blonds).
Brands that answered us in European sizes were converted to US sizing using this chart.
For brands that size XS-XXL, we used the following conversion: XS= 0, S=2/4, M=6/8, L=10/12, XL=14/16, XXL=18/20. This was based on the average of the designers’ conversion estimations.
In the instance that a designer offers extended sizing per request but does not produce it across the majority of their products, we went with the size run they create all pieces in.
Up to Size 28 Chromat Dennis Basso
Up to Size 24 Cynthia Rowley Jason Wu Collection* Rebecca Minkoff Veronica Beard
Up to Size 22 Badgley Mischka* Brandon Maxwell* Carolina Herrera*
Up to Size 20 Adam Lippes Brock Collection Jonathan Simkhai* Lela Rose Marc Jacobs* Naeem Khan*
Up to Size 18 Kate Spade New York Libertine Prabal Gurung* Sally LaPointe* The Row
Up to Size 16 Bibhu Mohapatra Coach 1941 Eckhaus Latta Marchesa Michael Kors Oscar de la Renta Theory
Up to Size 14 alice + olivia Christian Cowan Fe Noel Kim Shui Longchamp Nicole Miller R13 Tory Burch Ulla Johnson
Up to Size 12 AREA Anna Sui Collina Strada Hellessy Helmut Lang Jonathan Cohen LaQuan Smith Marina Moscone Monse Palm Angels Rodarte Self-Portrait Sies Marjan Tibi Vera Wang
Up to Size 10 Alejandra Alonso Rojas Claudia Li Dion Lee Gabriela Hearst Khaite Snow Xue Gao Zimmermann
Eva Apio is best known as a Model. Ugandan model based in England who is represented by Storm Models. She was born on July 1, 2000 in Uganda. In January 2019 she was part of a River Island campaign with Ocean Lewis. She began modeling when she was young, but quit when she was 13. She started up again at 16, and was signed with Zone Models.
So I grew up around fashion really, my mum she started modelling at a young age, and she won miss Uganda, then she got scouted and moved to Germany and was modelling there, she was in Berlin modelling. This was after she had me. She had me and left me with my aunt, who’s a fashion designer in Uganda, so then she just used me as a little muse. There are pictures of me on google walking down the catwalk, I was doing like coca-cola, and little magazines and stuff.
Then my mum moved to London, and I joined her later on when I was. Then from 10, I was in London, chilling and doing little shoots here and there for my mum and stuff. Then I stopped because I didn’t want to be like my mum, we already have the same name; Eva. So I didn’t want to be her, I wanted to go through my own path, but my dad wanted me to do modelling. So I went away when I was 16 and had just finished school. I went on a little retreat. My dad calls me, and he’s a there’s a modelling agency that wants to see you, I signed you up. At first, I was like why would you do that?! But then I was like okay, I’ll give it a shot. So I signed up for like a year.
All other agencies had said no to me because of my height; I’m 5’5. But before I’d left for the retreat, I’d sat down and written down all the agencies I wanted to join, and every time they had a walk-in, my dad and I got in the car and drove to every single one. They’d all say ‘I’ll get back to you’, but we all know what that means. Most of the feedback was ‘You’re beautiful but too small’.
She is one of the successful Model. Eva Apio has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on July 1, 2000. She is one of the Richest Model who was born in Uganda.
Content courtesy of Pause her & Nairobi fashion hub Online Digital Team
Stacy Michuki is the youngest woman to be crowned Miss Universe Kenya in the organization’s history. With hard work and determination, she hopes to achieve her dream of becoming a world renowned high fashion model.
She is passionate about youth empowerment both in her country and across the globe, and believes that the next generation are the leaders of tomorrow. Stacy hopes to use her platform to show the rest of the world that these kids are worth investing in.
She also hopes to be a role model to young girls and instill the idea that regardless of background or current circumstances, all dreams are achievable and they shouldn’t let anyone tell them otherwise.
Mr & Miss World Kenya 2019/2020 beauty pageant finals went down on Saturday night , October 5 at the Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi county, The event was emceed by Kenya’s top comedian Oga Obbina and Kenyan Queen Angela Wambui.
Apart from showcasing fashion, Kenyan beauty and the culture of Kenya , the event also gave room for entertainment from guest artists. Some of the musicians who graced the event include Khaligraph Jones and other traditional music groups.
The 2019 edition was won by Wavinya Maria and Frank Asoyo , 18 years old Maria Wavinya was crowned Miss World Kenya 2019. She succeeds last year’s winner, Finali Galaiya, and will now prepare to represent her country at the Miss World 2019 pageant in London, England in December,Elsie Stephens and Bernice Nunah were the first and second runners-up, respectively.
Miss World Kenya 2019/2020 Maria Wavinya holding a dummy cheque at the center while posing for a photo with CS Prof : Margaret Kobia and Ashleys Kenya Limited CEO Mrs. Terry Mungai
My name is Maria Wavinya from Nyandarua county and I’m 18 years old. I believe that the journey is never too easy unless its leading to failure. One fun fact about life is that we become what we think and communication is and will always be the backbone to strong leadership.
Elsie announced she was joining the Miss World Kenya competition in late September. Elsie, a beauty queen in her own right, has participated in other contests emerging 2nd runners-up in the 2018 edition of the Miss Universe Kenya.
Mr World Kenya 2019 title went to Franklyne Asoyo,He will compete in the next edition of Mr World pageant,
Mr World Kenya 2019/2020 Franklyne Asoyo holding a dummy cheque at the center while posing for a photo with CS Prof : Margaret Kobia and Ashleys Kenya Limited CEO Mrs. Terry Mungai
The runners-up from the men’s category were Simon Peter Kangere and Keith Nicktones ,Kenya is yet to win the Miss World and Mr World pageants.
#MrandMissWorldKenya #MrandMissWorldKenya2019
Content courtesy of Mr & Miss World Kenya & Nairobi Fashion Hub
The organisers of the Miss Uganda Pageant would like to officially announce that current Miss World title holder Vanessa Ponce (full name Vanessa Ponce de Leon) will be visiting Uganda in July to attend the Miss Uganda 2019 Grand Finale.
She will fly in with Miss World CEO Julia Morley for a one week trip that will include ‘Beauty With a Purpose’ activities, visiting renowned tourist destinations and participating in the grand finale of the the Miss Uganda Pageant. This will be the first time in history a current Miss World will be visiting the Pearl of Africa.
Vanessa Ponce completed her studies as a graduate of International Business at the University of Guanajuato. She stated her professional career by winning Mexico’s Next Top Model in 2014, after that she modelled for several top agencies and then competed in Miss Mexico Pageant 2018 where she emerged the winner.
Vanessa then represented Mexico at the Miss World Pageant in Sanyu, China where she claimed the title of Miss World 2018. She is the 68th ‘Miss World’ and the first Mexican to win this esteemed title. As a reigning Miss World, she has involved herself in several social responsibility and humanitarian work projects. She has for participated in several social campaigns and currently serves on the Board of Directors of a rehabilitation centre for girls in Mexico.
Registration for the Miss Uganda pageant is currently on going and forms can be collected from the Sheraton Kampala Hotel and Talent Africa offices located at Plot 1 Hill Drive in Kololo. Registration and auditions will take places from the Sheraton Hotel. Auditions for the northern and western region shall take place on June 22nd while auditions for eastern and central region shall take place on June 23rd.
The Miss Uganda pageant is organised by Kezzi Entertainment (The Miss World exclusive license holder) and Talent Africa. For more information please contact kezzi@kezzi.co.ug or info@talentafricagroup.co.ug
Content courtesy of Talent Africa Group & Nairobi Fashion Hub
The face of everything young, fresh and modern in Uganda. I started out in the Ugandan entertainment at the age of 15 as the host of “Youth Voice” followed by popular television shows “Be My Date” and “About Town”, I also became a respected actor after landing the lead role as Rhona in the Hostel serenity season 4 that aired on Uganda’s NTV.
I’ve also been a spokesperson for many campaigns here in Uganda and regularly featured on the best dressed lists. All this while completing a degree in Public Relations and media management at CUU
Currently a panelist on the Ntv Style Project a show that aims at edutaining about current trends beauty and fashion which airs every Friday at 7:35pm. In 2017, I emerged as a winner for the best dressed female media personality Uganda in the Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards also landed multiple nominations in the Starqt and Hipipo Awards.
Bettinah Tianah born Betty Nassali, 10 November 1993 is an Ugandan television personality, actress, model, and fashionista. She is known for hosting television programs like Youth Voice, Be My Date, and The Style Project. She also played a lead role (Rhona) in The Hostel television series.
At the age of 15, Tianah started working at NBS Television as the host of Youth Voice. She later hosted a matchmaking television show called Be My Date in 2015, replacing Anita Fabiola, and has hosted a fashion show called The Style Project since 2017. Tianah landed her first acting role as Rhona, a “bad girl” on the Ugandan television series The Hostelin its fourth and last season.
Tianah hosted the red carpet event at the UNAA Convention in Washington D.C., becoming the first Ugandan to host the event. She is also a model, having signed with Creative Industries Group in 2017. She held her first photoshoot in Paris.
Tianah holds a degree in Journalism from Cavendish University. She had earlier enrolled for a degree in Human Resources Management at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), but dropped out to pursue a journalism career.
Content courtesy Of Bettinah Tianah & Nairobi Fashion Hub
Nyakim Gatwech is a South Sudanese-American model, She has attracted attention for her dark skin color and is popular on Instagram Gatwech’s parents lived in Maiwut, South Sudan, before they fled the South Sudanese civil war to Gambela, Ethiopia where Nyakim was born.
From there, they migrated in Kenya where they lived in refugee camps, and finally she migrated to the US with her family, while she was 14 years of age. Originally settling in Buffalo, New York, she later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Although she was neither born in nor has been to South Sudan, she still considers herself South Sudanese. She considered a modelling career after taking part in a fashion show at St. Cloud State University. She has appeared in promotional posters for the 2017 film
Gatwech is known for her naturally dark skin color and has been nicknamed the Queen of the Dark. Gatwech has faced self-esteem issues and comments from people who promote bleaching to lighten skin color,but learned to embrace her beauty and pigmentation with love and support from her fans. She has over 450,000 followers on Instagram
When model Nyakim Gatwech was in middle school, she cried herself to sleep thinking she wasn’t beautiful enough. Now, the 24 year old South Sudanese model has become an icon of beauty and an inspiration to young women everywhere. Her secret? Self-love.
“It takes time to love who you are. Be confident in whatever the situation is,” Nyakim said in an interview with Teen Vogue, “If you love yourself other people will see. It will shine through you and then they have the choice to accept you or walk away.”
Jacqueline N. Mengi, A former Miss Tanzania (2000), currently owns an interior Design company which makes object D’Art funiture pieces, Amorette, Ltd. Jacqueline N. Mengi is also a philanthropist with many causes close to her heart, one being the Dr. Ntuyabaliwe Foundation, which she founded.
She is an ambassador of the WildAid campaign to inform the public about the severe poaching crisis currently facing Tanzania and to generate widespread support amoung civil society for the protection of elephants and other wildlife species. Mrs Mengi is also a supporter of the campaign against deaths of premature babies, and supports several local orphanages.
Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe (Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe Mengi) also known as K-Lyn was born on 6th December 1978 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is a musician, entrepreneur and former Miss Tanzania (2000).
She is the founder of award winning furniture designer and chairman of Amorette Ltd a furniture design and manufacturing company.
Her Music Career
She began his career in 1997 with a Tanzanian band the Tanzanites. She performed as one of the lead vocalist for three years.In 2004 she released her first solo album with a hit single ‘Nalia kwa Furaha’. In 2007 she released another album called ‘Crazy over You’ which was also the name of the first hit single for that album.
Former Miss Tanzania
In 2000, she won the Miss Tanzania and represented Tanzania in Miss World.
Her Company Amorrete Ltd and Molocaho Furniture
In 2013 she registered her own interior design company, Amorrete Ltd. In 2016 she launched Molacaho by Amorette, a Tanzanian company that designs and manufactures high end quality made- to-order furniture, furnishings, designer fabrics, lighting, decor, outdoor and garden furniture.
Awards
2017: Bronze Award For Light Category,Sayari amp, A Design International Awards (Roma)
2017: Bronze Award For Furniture Category, Ngorongoro settee, A Design International Awards (Roma).
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.”
