Maria, Maria
Marie Claire South Africa|December 2017

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

Abigail McDougall
Maria, Maria

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?

Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Marie Claire South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 2017-utgaven av Marie Claire South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MARIE CLAIRE SOUTH AFRICASe alt
These Women Are Not Real
Marie Claire South Africa

These Women Are Not Real

These women have millions of Instagram followers, front-row seats at fashion week and the latest designer clothes … but they’re not real. This new social-media trend is the most futuristic yet: computer-generated avatars that look, talk and behave like real people. But, asks HANNAH-ROSE YEE, is this really the future of the influencer industry?

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2018
One Moment In Time
Marie Claire South Africa

One Moment In Time

In February this year, para-athlete and journalist Palesa ‘Deejay’ Manaleng won gold in the women’s H3 hand-cycle event at the 2018 SA National Road and Para-Cycling Championships in Outdshoorn, Western Cape. Four years earlier, she had lost the use of her legs in a terrible cycling accident. Here, she shares that terrifying experience and her personal story of recovery

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2018
Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby
Marie Claire South Africa

Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby

For this 40-something-year-old, becoming a mother is high up on her priority list. And the fact that she’s a virgin, is not going to stop her from reaching her goal

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2018
Living In A Man's World
Marie Claire South Africa

Living In A Man's World

What really happens in the secret world of men? We asked four men who were born female to share their unique perspective on what it’s like to be parachuted into the opposite gender

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2018
Get In The Mood
Marie Claire South Africa

Get In The Mood

You’re ready to ring in 2019, but that dreaded dress code has you in a panic. There’s no need to stress. Tarryn Oppel thinks you may already have a winning piece in your wardrobe. You just don’t know it yet...

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2018
A Charmed Life
Marie Claire South Africa

A Charmed Life

Jewellery designer Ambra Gambale ’s handcrafted work has a curious undercurrent of magic realism, with a strong emphasis on bespoke pieces

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2018
Chelsea Lately
Marie Claire South Africa

Chelsea Lately

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton talks privilege, female leadership, dealing with critics – and how Trump ‘degrades what it means to be an American’

time-read
10 mins  |
September 2018
Delivering Excellence
Marie Claire South Africa

Delivering Excellence

NOMZAMO MBATHA chats to Afika Jadezweni about her red-carpet style, why women need to support one another, and how she’ll never forget where she comes from

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
Soul To Soul
Marie Claire South Africa

Soul To Soul

If There Were Ever a Visual Representation of the Expression ‘wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve’, Lukhanyo Mdingi’s ‘soulful Ii’ Collection Would Be It, as Afika Jadezweni Finds Out

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
It's Kim's World
Marie Claire South Africa

It's Kim's World

…We Just Live In It. How An Underestimated La Socialite Became One Of The Most Powerful Women Of The 21st Century

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018