Estee Lauder

Background:

“It's like there's only room for one very successful black model at a time. For the past year it's been Kebede.” Conor Kennedy (a booker at Elite Model Management) on Liya Kebede

First attracting attention after appearing in one of shows by Gucci creative director Tom Ford, New York City-based, Ethiopian model and actress Liya Kebede rose to supermodel status in 2003 with her lucrative 3-year contract as the first Estee Lauder model of color. She has also been featured in many major publications, most notably Vogue, has done ad campaigns for such clients as Yves Saint-Laurent, Revlon, Victoria's Secret and Gap, among others, and strutted down the catwalks for top designers like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Oscar de la Renta. In 2007, Kebede was ranked No. 11 on the Forbes list of the 15 Top-Earning Supermodel in the world. As an actress, Kebede had small roles in the films “Lord of War” (2005) and “The Good Shepherd” (2006) and is scheduled to act in “Desert Flower” and “ItW” (both 2008).

“I always wanted to do something to help the garment industry in Africa.” Liya Kebede

Kebede has designed a children's wear line called Lemlem, a line of hand-loomed clothing made in Ethiopia.

Kebede is the wife of Ethiopian hedge-fund manager Kassy Kebede and has two young children with him. She has dedicated much of her time for her family and the Liya Kebede foundation Mothers and Children, where she served as the head. For her commitment to motherhood, Kebede was chosen by WHO as their Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2005.

Mother of 2

Childhood and Family:

Liya Kebede was born on January 13, 1980 in the capital city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was raised in a homely middle-class family where she was the only girl among four boys. Growing up in such an environment, she had no interest in modeling until she was approached by a movie director while she was attending Lycee Guebre Mariam and was introduced to a French modeling agent. Upon finishing her study, she headed to France to pursue a modeling career.

Arriving in New York City in 2000, Liya found love and married to Kassy Kebede later that same year. Her husband is a Ethiopian hedge-fund manager. The couple had a son, Suhul, in 2001 and a daughter, Raee Kebede, in August 2005. The family currently reside in New York City.

Vogue Girl

Career:

Spotted by an art director while a student in Ethiopia, Liya Kebede left her native country after completing her studies to give modeling a try. It proved hard for the Ethiopian native because the industry preferred Caucasian beauties and the occasional Asian girl and she had to spend a long time working at the bottom rounds of the fashion world. In an attempt to get a big break, she relocated to Chicago and then to New York City in 2000. Following a constant rejection, the relentless and hard-working girl eventually experienced a turning point in her career when Tom Ford offered her an exclusive contract for his Gucci Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show after seeing her in Milan.

Following this fruitful affiliation, Kebede found herself working for such big names as Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel, and being featured in the American Vogue. In 2002, her rising career was further established when she landed a cover shoot for the May edition of Paris Vogue, but her true breakthrough moment arrived in the following year when she signed a multi-million dollar deal with Estee Lauder. The high-profile agreement made Kebede the label's first model of color in its over fifty-year history.

Kebede went on to establish triumphant career by appearing in advertisements for clients like Escada, Revlon, Yves Saint Laurent, Victoria's Secret , Tommy Hilfiger, Tiffany&Co, Vidal Sassoon, Louis Vuitton, Emanuel Ungaro and Lord & Taylor, and well as working with such noted designers as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Sean John, Oscar de la Renta, Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Valentino, La Perla, Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Nina Ricci,Bill Blass, Hermes, Kenneth Cole, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli and Burberry and Fendi, to name a few. Her face also decorated the covers of such magazines as Essence, V, Flair, i-D, Harpers & Queen, Time's Style & Design in addition to Italian, American, Russian, French, Spanish and Japanese 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?.” Liya Kebede

At the age of 25, in 2005, the mother of two was named as the World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Kebede made her second appearance on the cover of American Vogue in 2006, in which she was highlighted for her human-centered work.

Outside modeling, Kebede has branched out into acting. She made her professional debut by having a small part as Faith in the Nicolas Cage vehicle “Lord of War” (2005) and next appeared as Miriam on the Robert De Niro-directed “The Good Shepherd” (2006), which starred Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Alec Baldwin. She will star as Waris Dirie on the drama film “Desert Flower” (2008), adapted from the best-selling book by Waris Dirie and directed by Sherry Horman. In addition, she is cast along side Terrence Howard, Alan Cumming, Debra Winger and Karen Black on the upcoming “ItW” (2008), for director Jennifer Elster.

Awards:
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