She wears it well

Success settles comfortably on Nigerian model Oluchi

Oluchi Onweagba

August 2, 2000
Web posted at: 3:57 p.m. EDT (1957 GMT)

From Stacey Wilkins
CNN Correspondent

(CNN) -- Oluchi Onweagba has come a long way from selling bread on the streets of Lagos.

The 19-year-old Nigerian model -- she only uses her first name now -- got her start three years ago when she won the first M-Net Face of Africa model search.

"We chose Oluchi because we found that, from all the girls that entered the competition, she had the most personality," said Jan Malan of Face of Africa.

Success came quickly, and she was working within days of arriving in the United States.

"Two years ago I was a student in high school," said Oluchi, who now calls New York home. "I never thought I'm going to go on a plane, leave Lagos and leave my mom and dad. ... It all happened all of a sudden."

Oluchi's look caught the attention of American designer Rebecca Moses, whose sketches for the fall 2000 collection feature the 6-foot-1 model.

"I love a very elongated kind of Modigliani proportion," Moses said, referring to the Italian painter and sculptor. "I love the shape of her head and the proportion of her body."

Comparisons to Naomi Campbell

Oluchi's catwalk style has been likened to that of Naomi Campbell -- but comparisons end when talk turns to professional conduct. The British supermodel had a falling out with her former agency, Elite, whose founder said Campbell was impossible to work with.

"Naomi Campbell is in a breed of her own," said John Casablancas of Elite Model Management. "I think she is unbearable from a professional point of view. When it comes to Oluchi, she is completely the opposite. This is someone who is totally centered, totally dedicated, who says 'Thank you.'"

Oluchi says she couldn't have climbed to the top without her family. She returns to Africa whenever she gets time off, and talks to her sister almost every day.

She also takes time out to help other African models.

"Oluchi is like a role model to Nigerian aspiring models," Nigerian model Ojy Egwuenu said.

Oluchi's growing success underscores a message she wants to convey.

"You don't have to have blue eyes and blond hair to be beautiful," she said.

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M-Net Face of Africa

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