Destiny's Child

What drives one of Africa's foremost luxury jewellery brands, VanLeles

- Chumki Bharadwaj

A model turned entrepreneur is hardly a head turner, but when that collabora-tion results in the inception of Africa's first global luxury jewellery brand, you know you've unearthed a gem. Such is the story of the brand VanLeles and its founder-owner Vania Leles. Born of African and Portuguese descent, Leles proceeded to London to begin her modelling career, after schooling in Portugal. As an international model in New York, London and Paris modelling for fine jewellery brand campaigns, she honed her instincts to spot the extraordinary and unique and trained these instincts into a talent with an industry master at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).