237:. When Malaika talks about her family you get a glimpse of her ambition, but also of a rootedness that might save her from her industry’s worst excesses. She says, "I don’t come from a posh or high-class background. We lived in flats in the ghetto, our version of 'the Bronx'. We weren’t poor, but there wasn't a lot of money. I shared a room with my sister and my auntie. I struggled getting by in school, with £2 for my lunch. When the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) came out I was so excited – £20 a month! I appreciate everything that has happened. For me to have this career is life-changing for my family". Home is Kenya or New York – maybe Los Angeles, one day. "Everywhere is home. I am like a gypsy!" she says. She has not been back to Barking since she "blew up" – the family has all moved to Kenya, so there are no ties to east London left. "I only had one or two friends in sixth form anyway. I was bullied a lot at school. People were like – "she’s so shy, she’s so boring, I don’t want to talk to her. But – ha! – now look where I am. I see people's comments on Instagram, talking about how well I am doing. When I think about stuff like that I just think: "Thank you, God".
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Beginning her modeling career at age 17, Firth soon began modeling internationally: She gave her runway-debut at the New York
Fashion Week SS2012 for Odilon. She gained attention from the fashion industry after walking in the SS2014 Prada menswear show and starring in the Prada-fall 2013 campaign,
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Firth was encouraged by her mother to try out modeling, after watching an episode of "The Model Agency", which featured a documentary about the
Premier Model Management. Her mother called up the agency and arranged a meeting with them. After attending an open-call casting, Firth was signed on the
233:. Her father, Eric, is of British, Seychellois and Ugandan descent, and mother, Jecinta, is half-Kenyan and half-Swiss. Malaika was born in Kenya and lived there until she was seven, when the family moved to Barking. Eric worked as a French polisher at the
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Firth is currently based in London. If it was not for modeling, Firth would have tried out acting. She acted in several amateur productions in
Barking local theatre. Her grandmother runs a restaurant in Kenya.
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Meanwhile, Firth experienced her runway-breakthrough with the fashion week for the Spring/Summer 2014 collections, walking more than 40 shows, including shows from
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278:. With this feat, she became the first Black model in 19 years to score a Prada campaign. The last Black model to book a Prada campaign was
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For the Spring/Summer 2014 campaign season, Firth booked campaigns from
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among others. In
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608:"Malaika Firth - fashion show résumé"
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166:Le Management (Copenhagen, Stockholm)
587:"Malaika Firth - advertising résumé"
559:"Exclusive interview: Malaika Firth"
178:DT Model Management (West Hollywood)
484:Milligan, Lauren (10 August 2011).
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689:"Even Prada Muses Get Star-Struck"
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324:for the second-consecutive time.
160:Premier Model Management (London)
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525:"Model Call: Malaika Firth"
455:Cumming, Ed (Apr 5, 2015).
402:"Model Call: Malaika Firth"
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194:(born 23 March 1994) is a
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667:Conde Nast Publications
494:Conde Nast Publications
351:"Malaika Firth - Model"
104:1.74 m (5 ft
209:advertising campaign.
151:Oui Management (Paris)
766:English female models
41:New York Fashion Week
781:Kenyan female models
250:which also featured
95:Modeling information
786:People from Mombasa
303:Dolce & Gabbana
264:Freja Beha Erichsen
163:R1 Mgmt (Barcelona)
796:Models from London
533:Women's Wear Daily
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756:1994 births
693:vogue.co.uk
663:Vogue.co.uk
490:Vogue.co.uk
436:. July 2013
295:Marc Jacobs
268:Fei Fei Sun
73:Nationality
750:Categories
612:Models.com
591:Models.com
355:MODELS.com
337:References
213:Early life
148:(New York)
123:Hair color
54:1994-03-23
702:9 January
672:9 January
642:9 January
568:9 January
538:9 January
499:9 January
440:9 January
314:Valentino
131:Eye color
118: in)
318:Burberry
86:Children
736:Twitter
529:WWD.com
466:Feb 12,
407:Feb 12,
360:Feb 12,
231:Giriama
227:Barking
219:Mombasa
200:British
157:(Milan)
113:⁄
77:British
67:, Kenya
65:Mombasa
246:spot.
241:Career
198:-born
196:Kenyan
139:Agency
101:Height
80:Kenyan
322:Prada
299:Kenzo
223:Kenya
207:Prada
203:model
134:Brown
126:Black
704:2014
674:2014
644:2014
570:2014
540:2014
501:2014
468:2019
442:2014
409:2019
362:2019
320:and
270:and
48:Born
734:on
387:FMD
266:,
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