Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego was born in 1982 to the
Darego family which hails from Abonnema in Rivers State,Nigeria. Of course, no
one would have ever thought that out of the substantial number of infants born
into the world on the same day Agbani Darego was also born on African soil,
that she would in the succeeding years become a history maker, not just in her
homeland Nigeria, but in the world at large!
Agbani, who always wanted to be a model as a teenager did not seem to want to let her dream slip from her tight hopeful grip. In the period
when Agbani was a teenager, no African father would willingly let his daughter
go into modeling mostly for conservative reasons and equally as an African man, Agbani’s
father was no exception. Yet, she went on to audition for the M-Net face Of
Africa Modelling Competition – the same platform on which supermodel Oluchi
Onweagba was discovered- but was not chosen as a finalist. Being the dream
chaser that she was, she did not give up hope and therefore this down-point was
just a preparation for the great things that even she might not have expected.
In later years- shortly after the down turn of events at the
Face of Africa auditions- Agbani contested for the Most Beautiful Girl In
Nigeria 2001(MBGN 2001) Title and won! From there, she proceeded to contest at
the Miss Universe 2001 Beauty Pageant and became the first Nigerian to be among
the Top 10 Finalists of the competition – a history making milestone in her
just beginning career that needed an upgrade… which in due time, came up-. In that
same year, she contested with the world beauties on the 51st Miss
World 2001 stage in Sun City, South Africa- which aired in Nigeria on NTA 2
Channel 5 and 5 year old Aweda happened to be glued to his tv set to witness
the seat gripping event that unfolded on the screens at midday-.
Agbani Darego in a Maillot Swimsuit At The Miss World 2001 Beauty Pageant. |
Being the only
one to put on a maillot instead of a bikini which owned the stage on that very
day, surely intimidation wasn’t one of Agbani’s buddies and she graced the stage with her astonishing beauty and the poise of a professional- which she already
was-. On getting to the Top 3, she was asked ; paraphrasing “ What Are The 3
Things You Would Take On A Journey?” and her response if I remember correctly “
I’d Take With Me A Blanket, The Holy Bible And Water”. These were the
intelligent words of an 18 Year Old
Nigerian Beauty Queen on that stage which I can bet had tension looming
over it like ghosts in Nollywood Movies! These words, her beauty and her graceful presence made it
convinving enough for her to be crowned as the First Black Woman to wear the
coveted Miss World crown – though 3 other Africans of European descents from
South Africa and Egypt had won the competition in the past-.
L-R - 1st Runner Up, Miss Aruba, Miss Nigeria,Winner, Miss World 2001 and 2nd Runner Up, Miss Scotland. |
Being Miss World meant being the most beautiful girl at the
time. But being a Black Miss World meant placing your name in the book of histories, never to be erased.
After this feat, Agbani who was a student of Computer Science at the University
Of Port-Harcourt in her state of origin, had to leave school to optimize the
oppurtunities her title presented her. She landed herself a 3-Year contract
with L’oreal and again made history but this time, as second to Vanessa Williams
who had been the first woman of colour to land that same contract!
Also working with top brands like Avon, Dior, Sephora,
Target,and Macy’s, gracing the covers of equally top magazines like Elle, Marie
Claire,Stitch, Cosmopolitan and Essence, Agbani Darego’s star status did not leave
the stage which it was meant to be, I mean, THE WORLD STAGE. Designers not left
out, she also worked with the likes of Oscar De La Renta, Marc Bouwer, Tommy
Hilfiger, Gianfranco Ferre, Ralph Lauren just to mention a little out of the
lot she’s worked with she proved herself worthy of the title which she held and
also proved that she could do better even after her reign! In Nigeria, she, alongside Oluchi Onweagaba became the face
of the Hair Product “GENTLE TOUCH”. She also took to the skies by being the
current face of ARIK AIR in Nigeria !
Agbani Darego For Gentle Touch. |
Agbani Darego As Brand Ambassador For Arik Air Nigeria. |
A few years back she began the AD By Agbani Darego Denim
Line of bags, jeans and dresses. She has judged
various modeling shows in Nigeria like the Elite Model Look Nigeria 2012 and
internationally on the Miss England And Mr. Scotland Pageants In 2002, sharing
her professional insights behind the judges table that would definitely be as treasured gold to those who had the privilege of being part of that experience at the
time. Agbani later went back to school to get a degree in Psychology in
New York State University and graduated in 2012. She has proven herself to be a
goal getter with a strong mind and firm hold on what she wants whether she has
them or not.
Agbani Darego Looking Stylish And Elegant At The Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards. |
Agbani Darego At He Graduation From New York University With Supermodel Oluchi |
Like I said earlier, this is not a post to about racism or
the breakthroughs people of colour have come to see but to appreciate someone
who by the grace of the powers unknown to us in conjunction with her zeal and passion to be great, made the impossible become possible and without any
doubt, giving hope to young people with dreams of becoming something great in
future out there whether black, white, asian or latino. I am someone who has
been inspired not just by her achievements but by her drive towards getting
there. She like anyone else faced disappointments but did not use them as an
excuse not to move forward. She paved the way for a lot of people out there and
still is.
Agbani Darego, A History Maker With A Story Full Of
Inspiration Thereby Making A Name For Herself That Is Highly Indispensable In
Any Place That The Names Of Great Men And Women Of The World Of Fashion
Subjects Are Mentioned.
P.S- This series is in no particular order and the previous
or latter models featured on this series are not higher or lower in ranking
than the other according to the chronology in which their articles may occur.