Thursday, November 20, 2008

Oluchi in Vogue



After a brief absence it seems Oluchi is back. From the cover of POP Magazine and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to opening her own modeling agency in South Africa, the 6'1" Nigerian stunner is keeping very busy. I was happy to see her back on multiple pages of the December issue of Vogue (the one with Jennifer Aniston on the cover) alone and with her son Ugo.



Vogue is still far from perfect but even I will admit that some effort has been made to diversify the magazines lately. There have been several profiles in the past few months on black women like Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett, socialite Maggie Betts, and Dr. Iffie Aitkenhead. It certainly has made the magazine a more enjoyable read.



Arlenis and Indian model Lakshmi Menon also have portraits in the "Shine a Light" statement jewelry edit but so far, actual multi-page spreads are still reserved for Vogue regulars like Coco Rocha and Raquel Zimmermann.

S: scanned by Luxx/TFS and me from 12/08 Vogue

9 comments:

triangle eyes said...

I just don't understand why she opened her agency in South Africa. It would've been a wiser move to have opened one in her home country, non?

And believe you me, it would've been a much bigger help in Nigeria.

lapetitediva said...

the December issue of Vogue (the one with Jennifer Aniston on the cover)

**sigh** One of the many reasons I stopped buying and looking at fashion mags is because I got tired of seeing the same five or six actresses on the covers each month. I swear, the editors just rotate Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore. Oh, and Keira Knightley seems to be another popular cover subject, so that's seven.

Sorry about the off-topic rant.

Lenoxave said...

Diversity is a good thing. I still don't buy Vogue, but I enjoy coming here to see some of the spreads.

Black Bohemian

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Vogue, I hear Anna Wintour might be retiring once her contract is up. Do you think maybe they might replace her with someone with more diverse interests? Wishful thinking.

Anonymous said...

Valerie Jarrett is black?

B said...

@ Anon - "Valerie Jarrett is black?"

Yes.

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

Not a fan of Jennifer Aniston's but looking forward to seeing Oluchi's pics.

I am so over "celebs" on fashion magazine covers.

Wordweaver21 said...

@ DON'T SWEAT IT

I live in West Africa and I've been to Nigeria for a minute so believe me, South Africa was a better choice. Sure, Nigeria has striking girls but don't forget about bureaucracy. To open up an agency, she would have to go through government officials, document signing, land arrangements etc etc etc. The bureaucracy will wear the process out. South Africa has international fashion weeks, world-known designers etc so they are more receptive to modeling agencies and all of that. It would a much easier process to do it in South Africa than Nigeria.

Whenever I see Oluchi, it's always overwhelming because I remember when I was very young, in Cameroon ( West Africa) and I was flipping through chanels with my sister. We stumbled on M-net and we saw the "Face of Africa" competition going on. There was a girl from our country, who came in third, so that's what kept us glued. Oluchi won that night and I think she was 16, still a shy and timid girl from Lagos. My sisters and I were laughing at her when she cried and how she walked to accept her award. We knew nothing about fashion of course. Years down the road, I see her everywhere I go. In New York, Sports illustrated, In Paris, back in Africa, on T.V, Victoria's secrets, high fashion shows etc etc. Whenever I see her, I remember that moment of me as a child laughing at that 16 year old Naija girl from Lagos. It's always an overwhelming experience. Life is indeed funny.

Anonymous said...

Life is funny in a good way I presume?