Liya Kebede has reflected on her past struggles as a black supermodel in a new interview.
Starring in the November issue of Harper’s BAZAAR, the catwalk queen, 42, admitted she ‘experienced some really strange things’ during the early stages of her career, which spans two decades.
The fashion designer also touched on her ‘solitary’ childhood in Ethiopia as she posed for the publication’s accompanying cover shoot.
‘There’s nothing you can do. You just keep quiet’: Liya Kebede has reflected on her past struggles as a black supermodel in a new interview
Liya rose to fame when she moved to Paris in the late 90s after being spotted by a French agent while studying in her hometown of Addis Ababa.
The media personality went on to star in high-profile campaigns for elite fashion houses including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton.
While she’s led a fruitful life, the mother-of-two admitted her first years in the industry weren’t plain sailing, and she often felt like she didn’t have a voice as a young model.
Candid: Starring in the November issue of Harper’s BAZAAR , the catwalk queen, 42, admitted she ‘experienced some really strange things’ during the early stages of her career
Successful: The fashion star rose to fame when she moved to Paris in the late 90s after being spotted by a French agent while studying in her hometown of Addis Ababa (pictured in 2003)
The actress detailed: ‘You’re always going to a team that’s there, and you’re the one that comes in and out. It’s hard to create a community of any kind. The photographer has a voice. The stylist has a voice. The creative director has a voice.
‘You’re just the executor. Toward the beginning, I experienced some really strange things.
‘Just because I was Black. [There was] awkwardness on set, complications on set. And there’s nothing you can do. You just keep quiet. You do your thing. Then you leave and hope for the best.’
‘You’d leave and hope for the best’: While she’s led a fruitful life, the mother-of-two admitted her first years in the industry weren’t plain sailing
‘I had few friends’: The fashion designer also touched on her ‘solitary’ childhood in Ethiopia as she posed for the publication’s accompanying cover shoot
‘It was kind of crazy’: The brunette also spoke about juggling being a young mother with her budding career in the early 2000s
In her element: For the high-fashion shoot, Liya looked typically chic in a series of head-turning garments
She’s got it! The WHO’s Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health accentuated her natural beauty with minimal, neutral-toned make-up
Liya, who grew up with four brothers, also confessed she ‘wasn’t a happy teen’ and ‘always felt misunderstood’.
Out soon: Read Liya’s full interview in Harper’s BAZAAR, available from November 3
The Best Offer star shared: ‘I was quite solitary; I had few friends. I was very bookish. My plan was to go to university, and I guess somehow I shifted along the way.’
In her personal life, the brunette shares her son Suhul, 20, and daughter Raee, 15, with her ex-husband, hedge fund manager Kassy Kebede.
On juggling motherhood with her career, the TV star, who divorced the businessman in 2015 following a 15-year marriage, recalled: ‘I moved to New York with my then husband, my ex-husband. I was, like, 21 or something. 20?
‘Very quickly I had my son. I had a family life very early on. I was pregnant on my first real show, which is kind of crazy. Nobody knew.
‘I was throwing up every two seconds in the bathroom. I was so sick and somehow managed to walk that stage. It was hilarious.’
Working it: The media personality is best known for starring in high-profile campaigns for elite fashion houses including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton