Malaika Firth, born in Mombasa, Kenya to a British father and Kenyan mother, moved to Barking, a suburban town in east London, when she was seven years old. Her heritage includes Ugandan, Seychelloise, Swiss. Her family in Kenya belongs to the Giriama ethnic group.
She began modeling at the age of 17 and rose up the catwalk ranks to become the new face of Prada Autumn/Winter 2013 at the tender age of 19. Malaika Firth is the first black model in 19 years to score a Prada campaign since Naomi Campbell in 1994. Meanwhile, Firth walked more than 40 shows, including shows from Jean Paul Gaultier, Bottega Veneta, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, and Dolce & Gabbana among others, for the fashion week for the Spring/Summer 2014 collections. In November 2013, she debuted at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. She is represented by Premier Models in London, and New York Model Management.
In an interview with Inoubliable Model Army, she shares how she loves to go to her grandmother’s restaurant (Boko Boko Porini Seychellois Restaurant) and help her out. She is currently really hot in the modeling industry with many touting her as the next Naomi Campbell. She joins Zimbabwean model Nyasha Matanhodze, the model chosen to be the face of Louis Vuitton. Could African models being the face of large fashion houses be the new trend? It remains to be seen.
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