Nigerian Model Turns Lagos Streets Into Global Runway

Nigerian model Rachel Ojuromi has taken her fashion career from Lagos streets to the international modelling scene after securing representation with agencies in four countries.

The 22-year-old, known online as giverachelashot, is now represented by No Smoking NYC in New York, Safe Management in Paris, SUPA Worldwide in London and Next Canada, her mother agency.

Ojuromi has built an online following by creating fashion content in unconventional settings, often turning Lagos streets into backdrops for her modelling work. Working with stylist Debby Fasingha, she styled thrifted designer pieces with heels and walked through the city to create her looks.

Her approach was driven partly by a desire to ensure that limited finances did not prevent her from creating. Rather than waiting for access to conventional fashion studios or expensive locations, she used her surroundings as part of her creative process.

The strategy helped her work gain wider attention, including from Grammy-winning American singer Solána Rowe, popularly known as SZA. Ojuromi has credited SZA with helping bring greater visibility to her work and drawing international attention to her modelling.

In one of her videos, Ojuromi jokingly declared that the world’s top models could not all be in Los Angeles, adding that she was “holding it down in Africa”.

Her agency signings now mark a significant step beyond the Lagos street shoots that helped define her early modelling journey.