Did You Know That One Of Today’s Prominent Maternal And Child Health Advocates Is Also A Supermodel?

Did you know that one of today’s prominent maternal and child health advocates is also a supermodel?

Liya Kebede has done a lot in her career, which took her from being a supermodel to a goodwill ambassador who spoke at the United Nations, actor, and designer.

Liya was born in Ethiopia in 1978 and was the only daughter out of five children. Liya loved reading in school and learned to speak French and English. She attended a French international school in Ethiopia and thought of several career paths to go down but ultimately decided to start modeling.

At 18, Liya moved to Paris, where she was introduced to a French modeling agent and worked for a modeling agency. Then, she moved to Chicago briefly before heading to New York City.

In 2000, Liya landed the opportunity to model for the famous Tom Ford at Gucci. Around this time, she became pregnant with her son. In the early 2000s, it wasn’t common for models to start families during the peaks of their careers, but Liya was determined to do it all. Just one year after giving birth, Liya became a cover star and was featured in Vogue Paris.

In 2003, Liya became the first Black spokesmodel of Estee Lauder and began modeling for major brands. Her modeling career took off, and she began diving into her advocacy work.

Liya is very passionate about maternal, newborn, and child health, and in 2005, she became a World Health Organization goodwill ambassador for the cause. She had her second child that year and raised awareness of how maternal health was poorly treated in countries around the world, like her home country, Ethiopia. She was determined to promote safer childbirth and healthcare for mothers around the world.

Liya continued her modeling work throughout these years and started her own clothing line, lemlem, which makes hand-spun, woven and embroidered women’s and children’s clothes inspired by the fashion found in Ethiopia. She made sure her line practiced sustainability, and it is now available in 150 retailers worldwide.

Her brand, lemlem, also has a foundation that works with aid organizations in Africa to help provide pre and post-natal care education for communities. The foundation opened a maternity center in Hawassa, Ethiopia, which has been educating women on reproductive health since 2011.

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