Pushing Boundaries

Unexpected, unconventional and unstoppable. Angolan supermodel Maria Borges carved her success by being everything the fashion industry isn’t – herself.

- Yolisa Mjamba

Statuesque, elegant and red-lipped in a striped button-up shirt dress, Maria Borges arrives fresh off the new Woolworths Edition campaign shoot when I make my way to interview her at a studio in Green Point, Cape Town. “I’m ready for you,” she tells me with a smile. She’s the face of L’Oreal, a regular feature in the Victoria’s Secret shows, has strutted down the runways of Chanel, Balmain and Moschino, calls designer Riccardo Tisci a personal friend and is signed to 20 Management, SA’s most elite model agency. But as a black woman whose look was considered atypical, success was not guaranteed for her. According to the 25-year-old, it was her refusal to compromise on being her authentic self that positioned her where she is today. “I think that the industry embraced me because I’m always myself and I never try to imitate anyone,” she says. “When you show people that you’re just being you, it changes everything, and they really start to respect and support you. That’s why I just have to keep on going, making sure I open the door for other models as well.”