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27-year-old Angolan supermodel, Maria Borges, was the first African model to walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2015 with her natural hair. The 5”9 runway beauty initially wanted to be a doctor, and quickly switched lanes to the runway after her sister convinced her to try her hand at modelling.
Speaking to KTN’s Everyday Woman, Maria revealed that for seven years now, she has been making waves in the modelling industry, opening doors of opportunity for young African women like herself.
During the interview, she revealed that her successful career was spearheaded in Portugal as the country speaks Portuguese, just like her home country.
New York, success
Thereafter, she took off to New York, and just as they say, “the rest is history”.
That ‘history’ is ringing true right now as she has walked down hundreds of runways, done thousands of magazine covers, broken barriers in the modelling world and been featured in Forbes Africa.
Aside from her glamorous life, Maria revealed that she spends her down-time hanging out with her friends and doing simple activities like going to the movies.
“I am very passionate about Africa and collaborating with local talent,” she said.
Whenever she visits a new African country, she ensures that her PR team connects her to local fashion designers to make her look like an African queen.
Additionally, she strongly believes that African parents should support their children in their ventures of life and passions, without limiting their dreams.
According to the supermodel, “giving in order to receive” is the legacy that she wants to leave behind.
Check out her interview below:
Images: Instagram (@iammariaborges)
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