{"id":2966,"date":"2011-06-29T14:57:50","date_gmt":"2011-06-29T14:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.faceofmalawi.com\/?p=2966"},"modified":"2011-06-29T14:57:50","modified_gmt":"2011-06-29T14:57:50","slug":"zim-teen-the-new-face-of-louis-vuitton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/2011\/06\/29\/zim-teen-the-new-face-of-louis-vuitton\/","title":{"rendered":"Zim teen the new face of Louis Vuitton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\"\"

Nyasha Matonhodze, featured here, in the Louis Vuitton 2011 Fall\/Winter Campaign, shot by world renowned fashion photographer, Steven Meisel. (Image: SA-People.com) <\/p><\/div>\n

MEDIA CONTACTS<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Elite Model Management Paris
\n+33 1 4044 3222
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zimbabwean-born Nyasha Matonhodze, 16, is turning heads on high streets across the world after being chosen as one of the faces of Louis Vuitton<\/a>\u2019s 2011 Autumn\/Winter campaign.<\/p>\n

Matonhodze, who was one of the finalists in the UK Elite Model Look<\/a> in 2009, had been toying with the idea of modelling since she was 12, but was eventually convinced after watching the TV show America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I was 12 I have been tall and thin, so I would always get the whole \u2018you should be a model\u2019, but I never really developed a serious interest about it until the TV show America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/em>,\u201d said the five-foot 11 (180cm) teen.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously, that\u2019s when it all changed for me. Everything I wanted was pretty much based on that show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Zimbabwean beauty follows in the footsteps of pop queen Madonna and movie star Scarlett Johansson, who have both previously represented the French fashion label.<\/p>\n

The 2011 campaign visuals were shot by world-renowned fashion photographer Steven Meisel<\/a> at a disused aerodrome in Brooklyn, New York, inside a vintage Rolls Royce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t actually hit me until I was sitting in a Rolls Royce with Mr Meisel. He is a wonder to work with \u2013 he and Marc Jacobs made me feel beautiful,\u201d said Matonhodze.<\/p>\n

Marc Jacobs <\/a>is Louis Vuitton\u2019s creative director.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy eyes filled up with tears and I thought \u2018Lord you are lucky\u2019,\u201d Matonhodze added.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwean roots<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matonhodze was born and raised in Zimbabwe by her grandmother until she was eight years old.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Matonhodze, seen here: in her Elite Models portfolio photo. (Image: Elite Model Management Paris) <\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was raised in a very cultural, traditional household. It\u2019s very different to the British culture where my mom lived. I moved to England when I was eight, so I do still have memories of Zimbabwe \u2013 like falling asleep in the sand, bathing outside, the warmth of the sun and just the way of living,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Matonhodze\u2019s last visit to Zimbabwe was in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoving to England, I saw their perspective on Africa and what they think it’s like, and it’s completely the opposite. I went back to Zimbabwe three years ago and it’s so lovely; they’re happy with who they are and their traditions. I love going back home,\u201d said Matonhodze.<\/p>\n

She credits her mother as her inspiration, who at the age of 18 went to live and work in London.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was a single mother at 18 who moved to London without knowing anyone. She\u2019s always worked hard and seeing her overcome so much in life has been an inspiration for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matonhodze also credits her father for instilling a Christian way of life in her.<\/p>\n

Catwalk and magazine appearances<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matonhodze has walked for various fashion houses and appeared in several glossy magazines since her recruitment into Elite Model Agency in 2009.<\/p>\n

She was the feature in Wonderland <\/em><\/a>magazine in November 2010 and recently appeared on the covers of LOVE<\/a>, V<\/a>,<\/em> Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/em><\/a> and Teen Vogue<\/a> <\/em>magazines.<\/p>\n

In 2010 she walked for Louis Gray, Loewe, Jonathan Saunders, Ungaro and Louis Vuitton, and so far in 2011 she has walked for Halston, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Ungaro, Loewe and Louis Vuitton.<\/p>\n

Not so much of a \u2018discovery\u2019 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Matonhodze is quick to point out that she wasn\u2019t \u201cdiscovered\u201d at a shopping centre as gossipmongers say. She says her parents went with her to an agency when she was 14 to enquire about modelling opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy discovery wasn\u2019t so much of a discovery. At 14 my mum and my stepdad went into Elite Models to see if I could actually model.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a recent interview in New York <\/em>magazine Matonhodze said: \u201cIf you\u2019re not strong-minded, modelling can knock your confidence quite harshly. Every day you\u2019re judged on your looks, and more so today you\u2019re judged on your personality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MEDIA CONTACTS \u2022 Elite Model Management Paris +33 1 4044 3222 Zimbabwean-born Nyasha Matonhodze, 16, is turning heads on high […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[678,858,859,299,396],"class_list":["post-2966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-well-being","tag-beauty","tag-lv","tag-model","tag-women","tag-zimbabwe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.faceofmalawi.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}