Liya Kebede

By Ines Mendoza

I must admit that in the last couple of weeks, I've been a bit biased towards our male readers in choosing which models to profile. The girls who we've chosen could just as easily be categorised in an FHM poll of some kind, as opposed to any legitimate catwalk potential.

To create a happy equilibrium, I've taken the "advice" of my fellow Web Wombat fashion reporter Sara Templeton (no, she's not dead, just on vacation) and decided to opt for a girl whose credentials list a little more than "bust size 36". Without further ado, may I introduce to you a lady who embodies everything a runway model should:

Ethiopian-born model Liya Kebede grew up in a family of four boys and displayed very little interest in a fashion career outside of a poster of Naomi Campbell adhered to her wall. My brother owns a similar poster, however for an entirely different reason. In fact, Liya's traditional model features of being tall and excruciatingly thin was, in fact, a setback for her in her home of Addis Ababa, because a curvaceous figure and big eyes are generally favoured by the majority of Ethiopia's male contingent.

Luckily, not everyone in Ethiopia is blinded by a bootylicious babe. An art director at her school noticed Liya's obvious charms and introduced her to a French modeling agency during a fashion show - in which she had to supply her own shoes.

Despite her obvious modeling potential, she was overlooked on more than one occasion early in her career due in part to her inability to fit into the relatively pigeonholed and narrow minded views of the largely Caucasian fashion fraternity.

By the of 2000, Liya decided to give it one last chance and packed up her bags and her newly-found husband - an Ethiopian hedge fund manager, Kassy Kebede - and headed for the Big Apple, NYC. Kebede's career turned around almost instantly when, during a Milan fashion show, the then Gucci creative director Tom Ford took notice of the long-legged beauty. He cast her in one of his fashion shows, and all of a sudden the striking African model had the big names that had originally ignored her lining up in their droves.

This led to her major break when the 27-year old stunner - an age often thought too lofty for a top model - featured in and on the covers of 4 out of 6 stories in French Vogue, shot by Ines van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. I must admit, this was my first glance at the luscious Liya too, as I recall flicking through the Vogue during an official business trip to a local coffee shop in Nantes. While the coffee left much to be desired as did the service, Liya's broad shoulders and never-ending legs cemented themselves firmly in my head. 

She has since appeared on the covers of Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish editions of Vogue magazine, plus Numero, V, French, Flair, i-D, South African Elle, Harper’s & Queen, Essence, and Time’s Style & Design issue. Liya was also recently featured on the September 2004 cover of American Vogue, where she was named one of the leading faces of “The Return of the Super Model”.

In April of 2003 came Liya's biggest modeling coup. Estée Lauder, trying to shake its image as a stale and middle-aged designer, signed Kebede who joined Carolyn Murphy and Elizabeth Hurley as the third member of the model trio with a multi million dollar contract. This also made Liya the first coloured model for the cosmetics conglomerate in its 60-year history.

“Liya defines modern beauty,”  espoused Aerin Lauder, who was only too eager to lavish praise on the convivial model. “Her status as an international beauty, runway favorite and designer muse infuses the brand with energy and modernity. Her global appeal connects us with consumers of all ages and cultures in an exciting and unexpected way.”

Escada, Tommy Hilfiger and Yves Saint Laurent have since used Liya's revolutionary beauty in their own ad campaigns. And boy-oh-boy, is her resumé is a who's who of designers: Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Sean John, Valentino, Jean-Paul Gaultier, La Perla, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Versace, Calvin Klein, Bill Blass, Burberry, Fendi, Hermes, Kenneth Cole, Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli and many more who didn't rate a mention for largely unknown reasons.

Not content with merely taking control of her  modeling destiny, Liya featured on the May 2005 cover of American Vogue, with the heading “Cover model with a cause”. This profiled her work with the World Health Organization as their Goodwill Ambassador for her tireless efforts in raising awareness for the difficulties that women and children face in the developing world.

In the letter from the editor, Anna Wintour states “It’s very gratifying that Kebede, who has long been a model of the highest rank, should come into her own this way. This is her moment, and it has not arrived by virtue of outsize fabulousness. She is beautiful, professional, and substantial, which makes her not just a model but a role model.”

Now guys, if that doesn't impress you, I'm not sure what will. Well, I have a general idea - but we'll just see how right Sara Templeton is with her theories on female empowerment.

Source: Louis Vuitton Photography: Unknown	Source: Vogue UK Photography: Unknown