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Vogue Magazine names Ethiopian Super Model, Liya Kebede, as one of the best dressed of the year

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(CP-Africa):  Ethiopian Super Model, Liya Kebede, has been named one of the best dressed of the year by Vogue Magazine. She was labeled “Conscious chic” by the judges. (See the list of other 10 women listed in different categories below!)

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Liya Kebede is one of a very few African models featured in major fashion photo shoots and runway shows. 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”

Her 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.

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 history.

In 2005, Kebede was appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. 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 Supermodels. In 2008, Kebede was featured on one of the four covers of Vogue Italia’s all Black Issue.

Kebede starred in the film-adaption of the bestselling autobiography Desert Flower by former supermodel Waris Dirie in 2009. 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. Kebede has also had minor roles in two films: The Good Shepherd and Lord of War.

Kebede writes for the Huffington Post about maternal and child health and has been featured in Vogue and on the Daily Beast. 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.

Kebede married Ethiopian hedge fund manager Kassy Kebede in 2000 and they have two children together: son Suhul, born in 2001, and daughter Raee, born in 2005. Source: Wikipedia

To learn more about Liya, visit http://www.liyakebede.com/

VOGUE MAGAZINE’S BEST-DRESSED LIST

VOGUE

Best Dressed of the Decade - Kate Moss

The Bombshell – Blake Lively

Screen Siren – Marion Cotillard

The Independent – Michelle Obama

American Beauty – Jessica Biel

Street Cool – Alexa Chung

Haute Bohemian – Sarah Jessica Parker

Conscious Chic – Liya Kebede

Free Spirit – Carey Mulligan

New Classicist – Shala Monroque

The Visionary – Lady Gaga

Image via: HauteFashion and Mylifestylemule

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— Jen Ehidiamen

A professional journalist and emerging writer, Jen Ehidiamen is committed to exploring and using the Media as an advocacy tool for Youth development and empowerment. Her passion for youth development is also reflected in her column called “Dis Generation” in The Nation newspaper. She is currently CP-Africa's Features Editor.

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