Maria, Maria

From war-torn ANGOLA to international catwalks, MARIA BORGES is Africa’s happiest supermodel

- Abigail McDougall

MARIA BORGES HAS A BEAUTY THAT RADIATES FROM WITHIN. SHE HAS AN EASY LAUGH, A GORGEOUS SMILE AND SHE’S FULL OF MOVEMENT AND LIFE. This lightness of spirit has given her a reputation for being a supermodel of boundless happiness and optimism.

Maria’s story is extraordinary. The now 25-year-old grew up in Angola during the country’s civil war. Her mother passed away when she was only 11, after which she was raised by her teenage sister. At 17, she entered the Angolan edition of Elite Model Look and placed second. Two years later, in 2012, she was signed to Supreme Management, a New York-based modelling agency. A month later she debuted on the runway, booking 17 shows in her first season. She spoke no English at the time. Today Maria has walked some of the most coveted runways in the world, including Dior, Givenchy, Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs.

Despite this rapid rise, Maria can come across as just another 25-yearold: she was teased as a teenager (for being very tall); she loves her family and eating in nice restaurants; she says that the best part of her job is the travelling and the worst is jet lag. Pretty standard, right?