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| Liya Kebede |
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"If you don't have a dream in life, I don't know what you have. You have to want something beyond your reach; it's exciting when it works out."
-Liya Kebede
| Date of Birth: January 3, 1980 |
| Birthplace: Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa |
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| Liya could very well be the woman to revolutionize the perception of beauty in the cookie-cutter fashion world. In addition to being one of the few black supermodels out there, she is sexy, elegant and arrestingly ambitious. |
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| Liya was the first woman of African origin to become the face of Este Lauder, which turbocharged her career and made her a new favorite with just about every label. She has since become an inspiration for minority models to aim for the top. |
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Liya Kebede was born in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on January 3, 1980. She grew up in a comfortable middle-class family, the only girl among four boys. Growing up in such an environment, Liya developed few girly traits, and exhibited little interest in fashion other than a Naomi Campbell poster in her room.
Liya wasn't endowed with the features traditionally favored by Ethiopian men -- namely, a curvaceous figure and big eyes. Instead, hers was a model's figure; tall and thin. So she figured she'd try her hand at modeling, starting with a fashion show at her school. An art director noticed her and introduced her to a French modeling agency. After finishing her studies, Liya packed up and moved to Paris.
Liya toiled for a long time at the bottom rungs of the fashion world. Because the industry preferred fair Caucasian women and the occasional Asian girl, there was a very narrow likelihood that Liya would ever achieve the success of other black models, like Naomi Campbell, Alek Wek and Iman.
Ever persistent, Liya moved to Chicago, then to New York City in 2000. Despite being in the fashion world's capital, she still faced consistent rejection, excluding the occasional lukewarm catalog job. During this time, she married her husband, Ethiopian hedge-fund manager Kassy Kebede. |
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© Dimitrios Kambouris
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