Supermodel going home to save Africas girls
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Times Online - Found Mar. 13, 2010 Liya Kebede, an Ethiopian model, plays Dirie in the film. Dirie cried at the first viewing. |
Liya Kebede Does Couture On Wheels For Elle Italy
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Refinery29 - Found Dec. 22, 2009 But Liya Kebede , who's all dolled up in gowns and skates in the new Elle Italy fears neither ruining her frocks or the cold embrace of the... |
Fashgasm 16.3.2010
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Rogue's Lifestyle Blog - Fashion Trends, Society, Culture - Found Mar. 16, 2010 Posted in Fashion Blog Fashion Industry Fashion Industry News Blog Yesterday's most popular picture From Liya Kebede: Vogue Italia |
Fashgasm 15.3.2010
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Rogue's Lifestyle Blog - Fashion Trends, Society, Culture - Found Mar. 15, 2010 ... fragile beauty Photo Shoots Lily Donaldson's mesmerizing hair Photo Shoots New picture galleries Liya Kebede: Vogue Italia March 2010... |
Close of Ebony Fashion Fair means end of an era
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NWI Times - Found Mar. 14, 2010 Today, Ethiopian Liya Kebede is the face of Estee Lauder, while Teen Vogue markets black models Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman as icons of... |
Supermodel Waris Dirie going home to save Africa?s girls
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Times Online - Found Mar. 13, 2010 Liya Kebede, an Ethiopian model, plays Dirie in the film. Dirie cried at the first viewing. |
Fashgasm 11.3.2010
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Rogue's Lifestyle Blog - Fashion Trends, Society, Culture - Found Mar. 11, 2010 Bastien Bonizec and Marine Vacth: Surface #81 Lady Gaga Cosmopolitan Magazine Outtakes Liya Kebede, Coco Rocha, Heidi Mount... |
V Mag's take with the Sal-N-Pepa beauties: It's so stylish!
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Style Guru - Found Mar. 3, 2010 If you call yourself ?stylish?, then make sure you don?t miss V Magazine?s editorial that features, Lily Donaldson and Liya Kebede. |
Boudoir World
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Frou Frou Fashionista - Faire Frou Frou Official Blog - Found Mar. 1, 2010 ... de Rijk in Calvin Klein dress, Wolford garter belt, Falke hosiery, Yves Saint Laurent shoes. Liya Kebede in Fendi ostrich feather and silk... |
V Magazine March
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Denimology - Found Mar. 1, 2010 Lily Donaldson and Liya Kebede give 80's hip hop for V Magazine #64. Wearing the latest denim on denim trend with a downtown twist the duo are |
Liya Kebede Biography
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Liya Kebede
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 Kebede at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival |
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| Date of birth | January 3, 1978 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Measurements | 32.5-23-34 (US) |
| Dress size | 3 (US) |
| Shoe size | 9 (US) |
| Agency | IMG Models New York Viva Models Paris D'management Group |
| Website | http://www.liyakebede.com |
Liya Kebede (born January 3, 1978)1 is an Ethiopian model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer and actress who has appeared on the cover of US Vogue twice. According to Forbes, Kebede was eleventh-highest-paid top model in the world in 2007.2 Since 2005, Kebede has served as the WHO's Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.3
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Biography
Kebede was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.4 A film director spotted her while she was attending Lycee Guebre Mariam and introduced her to a French modeling agent. After completing her studies, she moved to France to pursue work through a Parisian agency. Kebede later relocated to New York City. She has remarked that the modeling industry in Ethiopia is quite different from the catwalks on which she is now ubiquitous. For example, in Ethiopia she had to provide her own shoes for each runway show.
Modeling career
Kebede's big break came when Tom Ford asked her for an exclusive contract for his Gucci Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show4. Kebede's popularity in the fashion industry sky-rocketed when she appeared on the cover the May 2002 edition of Paris Vogue which dedicated the entire issue to her.5
Kebede has been seen on the covers of Italian, Japanese, American, French and Spanish Vogue, V, Flair, i-D and Time's Style & Design. Kebede has been featured in ad campaigns including those for Gap, Yves Saint-Laurent6, Victoria's Secret, Emanuel Ungaro, Tommy Hilfiger6, Revlon6, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada and Louis Vuitton. In 2003, Kebede was named the newest face of Estée Lauder cosmetics, the first Ethiopian to serve as their representative in the company's 57-year history7. Her contract was rumored to be for $3 million dollars 7.
Kebede is one of a very few African models featured in major fashion photo shoots and runway shows 8. According to Conor Kennedy, in 2003 a booker at Elite Model Management,
- "It's like there's only room for one very successful black model at a time. For the past year it's been Kebede"8.
In 2005, Kebede was appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health9. She also appeared in a group montage on a rare (as of recent years) group montage of up and coming supermodels.
In summer of 2006 she was also one of the very few non-white models to have been given a cover of American Vogue, the issue highlighted her humanitarian work.
In July 2007, earning at an estimated total of $2.5 million in the past 12 months, Forbes named her eleventh in the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels10. In 2008, Kebede was featured on one of the four covers of Vogue Italia's all Black Issue.
In 2009, Kebede starred in the film-adaption of the bestselling autobiography Desert Flower by former supermodel Waris Dirie. The film recounts Dirie's childhood in Somalia, her rise to stardom and subsequent awareness campaign against female circumcision. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and received a standing ovation.11 Kebede has also had minor roles in two films: The Good Shepherd and Lord of War.12
Philanthropy
In 2005, Kebede was appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.13 She then founded the Liya Kebede Foundation, whose mission is to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality in Ethiopia and around the world. The Foundation funds advocacy and awareness raising projects as well as providing direct support for low-cost technologies, community-based education, and training and medical programs.14
Kebede has traveled to Ethiopia to support maternal health projects on multiple occasions. In 2009, she worked with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their Living Proof Project.15 Kebede served as a High-Level adviser for the Center for Global Development’s 2009 report "Start with a Girl: A New Agenda for Global Health."16
Kebede writes for the Huffington Post17 about maternal and child health and has been featured in Vogue and on the Daily Beast.18 She is also part of the Champions for an HIV Free Generation, an organization of African leaders led by former Botswana President Festus Mogae. The Champions advocate for increased HIV prevention and treatment efforts in Africa.19
Lemlem
Kebede launched Lemlem, a clothing line, in 2008. Lemlem, which means “to bloom” in Amharic, features hand-spun, woven and embroidered women and children’s clothing.20 Kebede founded the line to help preserve the art of traditional weaving and bring sustainable economic development to Ethiopia . Lemlem is sold at Barney’s, J.Crew, Net-a-Porter.com and numerous boutique shops.21 Kebede says she hopes this will part a sea of change for her home country. "It's wonderful to be able to donate and help people," she says.22
Personal life
Kebede married Ethiopian hedge fund manager Kassy Kebede4 in 2000 and they have two children together; son Suhul 8 years old born in 2001 and daughter Raee 4 years old born in 2005.23 As of 2007, the family resides in New York City.
Quotes
- "Honestly, I wish I could've lived in their time. They had so much fun." – Liya on the supermodel era, Vogue
- "Every day we hear about the dangers of cancer, heart disease and AIDS. But how many of us realize that, in much of the world, the act of giving life to a child is still the biggest killer of women of child-bearing age? That over half a million die every year? Or that 3 million babies are stillborn? Or that another 4 million die during the first days and weeks of life?" – during her acceptance of the 2005 UN Day Award.
References
- ^ New York Magazine profile
- ^ Forbes Top Fifteen Models. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ Liya Kebede's Role as Goodwill Ambassador
- ^ a b c Wiltz, Teresa. "The Swan." Essence magazine (September 2004).
- ^ http://nymag.com/fashion/models/lkebede/liyakebede/
- ^ a b c Sterling, Wayne. "Model Citizen." Savoy Magazine, page 31.
- ^ a b Naughton, Julie. "Estee Lauder's New Ethnic Mix." Women's Wear Daily (March 14, 2003).
- ^ a b Trebay, Guy. "A Black Model Reaches the Top, a Lonely Spot." New York Times (April 8, 2003), C16
- ^ Holgate, Mark. "Role Model". US Vogue (May 2005).
- ^ The World's Top-Earning Models
- ^ Oakes, Keily "Escaping the Somailian Desert" BBC News (Sept 4, 2009). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8238806.stm
- ^ Liya Kebede at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Liya Kebede's Role as Goodwill Ambassador
- ^ The Liya Kebede Foundation
- ^ Gates Foundation Living Proof Project Liya's Diary
- ^ Center for Global Development
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/liya-kebede/lets-make-mothers-day-a-g_b_199119.html
- ^ http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/liya-kebede/
- ^ About Champions for an HIV Free Generation
- ^ http://www.lemlem.com/
- ^ The Insider, Liya Kebede's Lemlem Children's Clothing Line Debuts
- ^ Liya Kebede Celebrity-Parent Profile - Cookiemag.com
- ^ Burke, Meredith Melling. "Cause for Celebration" US Vogue (December 2006).
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Liya Kebede |
- Official site, has scans of many sources for this article (after intro, select 'Press')
- Liya Kebede Fundraising Event EthioTube Video
- Liya Kebede at Fashion Model Directory
- Liya Kebede at the Internet Movie Database
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