By AYO ONIKOYI

Dubai’s and Middle East’s most celebrated and coveted black model, Chanel Ayan, born Ayan Pillott never wanted to be a model. It was a twist of fate that conspired to thrust the destiny upon her and the Kenyan has only repaid the favour by walking her way to the apex of the glitzy world of the craft.

As a black woman in a profession dominated by Caucasians on the world stage, the odds were unevenly stacked against her but her doggedness, grace and elegance tipped the scale in her favour and fortune could only make her a home to nest. Meet the married mother of one, unscripted in an interview with AYO ONIKOYI, VANGUARD’s Entertainment Editor.

US museum returns Egyptian gold coffin looted by art thieves(Opens in a new browser tab)

How it all started

It was never a dream to be a model. I never even knew what modeling was because I grew up in a very small village in Kenya. My cousin who lived in Sweden, half white, half black, came to visit us when we were younger and said ‘wow you should really be a model’. And I was like “ what is that?. The next time she came she brought magazines and show me what it was. The moment I saw it I thought this is something I would really like to do.

From there it just picked up and I started doing commercials in Kenya. TV commercials for Bazaar, for Coca-cola. From there I realised I just love to be in front of cameras and I enjoyed the kind of money I was getting paid. I never knew I could be making such kind of money in modeling. I just picked up from there and I realised I love what I was doing.

The journey

I left Kenya when I was 17 and moved to Brazil. Then from Brazil I went to New York with Elite Models. I modeled in New York, I did Michael Core show, I did Carmilla show, I did Moschino. I did a lot of shows in New York. Then I moved to Dubai. When I moved to Dubai 14 years ago there was no black modeling in Dubai.

I am the first black model to ever appear on magazine covers in Dubai. I have been in Vogue countless times, including Vogue Italia and Vogue US. I did shows that were covered in CNN worldwide. I have done every brand in Dubai. I have done Prada, I’m the face of Paiget in Middle East, face of Channel. I’m the only black girl that did Vogue.

Stop harassing rich Nigerian Youths — Naira Marley begs FG(Opens in a new browser tab)

I have done big brands like Apple, Van Cleef and Piaget. It’s amazing to wear a million dollars earring and 10 million dollars chains. I was the first black to ever do all these in Middle East. I’m booked for every job that’s in town. I love doing my job, I love being a model.

I am the muse for one of the biggest designers in the world, the Amato couture. He has dressed Beyonce, Lady Gaga , Nicky Minaj, Shakira and Jlo he says am his muse. I usually dress clothes for celebrities before he sends them to USA for Oscars or anything. Funny thing I used to fit for Nicky Minaj and we have very different bodies but they would check colours and design that will fit her. I wore same white dress that Beyonce wore in Grammys before it was sent to USA.

The pioneering experience

My experience as the first black model in Dubai, was like they were not used to it because they had never had a black girl they have worked with.I did Emirate Airline campaign and Dubai Tourism Company. They have never ever used a black person, so, they didn’t know if I was good or not but the moment I started working they realised how good I was at my job and then I just kept on working and I have kept it going for 14 years and that is how I get booked over and over again because I’m really the best. To me, if the client likes what you do they would always use you over and over again.

They always mistake me for Iman because I look exactly like Iman. I actually sent her message on Instagram and I said ‘hey, do you really think I look like you because I get this a lot?” she was like, “Oh my God, you really, really look like me”.

And after she said that we met in New York and got talking and we realised we are actually from the same tribe in Somalia. She was really friendly and we got to know my uncle knew someone that knew her. It was amazing, we shot together. For me, now it’s really easy but for a lot of black girls, they are really having hard time working. In Dubai if they know you and you are good they keep using you, over and over again.

U.S. will not release Mideast peace plan before Israeli election(Opens in a new browser tab)

The family

[I was born in Kenya, in a very small village called Malanba, in the border between Kenya and Uganda. I grew up going to school in Kenya and Uganda at the same time. My father comes from a very big family in Uganda that owns all the Gateway buses, so, he grew up really well but my father had a lot of problems with drinking, forgetting that he was a parent, so, we were raised by my mum. I have 5 siblings and we all live in different places in the world. I live in Dubai, my brother lives in London, a lawyer.

My other brother lives in US and works for Apple. My sister lives in South Africa, working for Tourism Company, she has a very big position, protecting Rhinos and my other sister lives in Sweden and she’s a nurse. I ‘m the only one that is a model, here in Dubai.

My name is not really Chanel, my name is Ayan I changed it to Chanel for like the last 15 years. I picked Chanel because I watched the movie about the true story of Chanel and felt I connected with her in different aspects like how her father lived in the same town and she didn’t know he was there, she was raised in an orphanage and how her father moved on, married other people, raised other children and she completely forgot about them.

Her story kind of resonated with me, that’s why I call myself Chanel. But my first name is actually Ayan. Ayan means ‘lucky’ in my culture, a very common Somalian name actually.

Vanguard