Last year, British model Shahira Yusuf made headlines after she posted a viral tweet with pictures of herself in a grey suit (pictured) with the caption that read: “I ain’t no Kendall Jenner but I’m a black Muslim girl from east London that’s about to finesse the modelling industry.” The 20 year old model, whose family hails from Somalia, has broken ground by becoming one of the first hijabi models to be signed to a major agency, following Vogue Arabia cover girl Halima Aden.
Shahira’s agent Billy Mehmet of Storm management, says that the fashion industry is changing. “Our clients want girls who are more than just models, whether it’s a girl who is an activist or an artist.” Shahira says that she doesn’t want to be considered a token. “I don’t want ethnic models or those from different religious backgrounds to just pave the way – I want the way to stay there, to become a norm within society because it is a norm outside of the modelling sphere.”
