Doing it big
After seeing how far she got in the modelling industry in Namibia, the award-winning model Princess Tjozongoro was motivated to go bigger.
Speaking to tjil about her journey, Princess Tjozongoro said she knew there was a lot more she had to do and learn in order to grow as a professional model. “I craved for the next step, the bigger platform and what's bigger and bolder than going international, to one of the capitals of fashion? With the support of Ubuntu Models I took my savings and I flew myself to London,” she said.
She shared that the first few months were the hardest as she went to cast for a few agencies and the response she got was, sorry you are not what we are looking for. “Sometimes I would get scared and flirt with the idea of running back home and go herd cattle and drink omaere. But I did not let the rejection stop me. I finally got a response from an agency based in London called Black Afro Queens owned by Andrew Bannon.”
She mentioned that the modelling industry in London is insanely competitive and fast. Shortly after joining Black Afro Queens, they got her a gig for London Fashion Week castings and she walked for House of iKons. “My first London Fashion Week experience was totally mind-blowing, as it was everything I thought it would be and more. It was exciting, amazing, frightening, exhausting and incredible,” she said. She added that what stood out for her was the fact that everything was amplified, and hugely so. “There were more designers, more collections, more models, more fashion people and more cameras and lights … it was insane,” she recalled.
She told tjil that she was fortunate to walk for numerous designers including American designers Sofiya Mozely, Micheal Lombard, Trina Brown, Italian fashion designer Nadia Azumi, Philippian designer Cheri-lou Rabanoz and Chavez from Canada. “House of iKons was all about bringing fashion and creativity under one roof from all over the world, as well as diversity. There was a lot of diversity, even among the models whom I worked with. There were gay models, straight models, plus-size models and transgender models,” she shared.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
She shared that the first few months were the hardest as she went to cast for a few agencies and the response she got was, sorry you are not what we are looking for. “Sometimes I would get scared and flirt with the idea of running back home and go herd cattle and drink omaere. But I did not let the rejection stop me. I finally got a response from an agency based in London called Black Afro Queens owned by Andrew Bannon.”
She mentioned that the modelling industry in London is insanely competitive and fast. Shortly after joining Black Afro Queens, they got her a gig for London Fashion Week castings and she walked for House of iKons. “My first London Fashion Week experience was totally mind-blowing, as it was everything I thought it would be and more. It was exciting, amazing, frightening, exhausting and incredible,” she said. She added that what stood out for her was the fact that everything was amplified, and hugely so. “There were more designers, more collections, more models, more fashion people and more cameras and lights … it was insane,” she recalled.
She told tjil that she was fortunate to walk for numerous designers including American designers Sofiya Mozely, Micheal Lombard, Trina Brown, Italian fashion designer Nadia Azumi, Philippian designer Cheri-lou Rabanoz and Chavez from Canada. “House of iKons was all about bringing fashion and creativity under one roof from all over the world, as well as diversity. There was a lot of diversity, even among the models whom I worked with. There were gay models, straight models, plus-size models and transgender models,” she shared.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
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