Following the passing of Yemi Fawaz, the first professional model to ever emerge from Nigeria, the modeling industry in that country is in a great deal of mourning.
On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, Yemi Fawaz, a fashion and photography model who made waves in Nigerian print and broadcast media in the 1970s, passed away in the US.
Magadelene Oluwatosin, her daughter, announced the information on Facebook.
She wrote,
“I am reporting the passing of my mother, Deaconess Yemi Fawaz, with deep sorrow. Her life was well-lived, and we give thanks to God for her steadfast belief in the power of the Almighty.
“Her funeral plans will be revealed soon. I kindly ask that you remember our family in your prayers, and I am appreciative that she was able to touch you all in so many different ways. ”.
Biography of Yemi Fawaz.
Yemi
Yemi Fawaz.
Yemi Fawaz was a pioneer of professional modelling in Nigeria. She was born in Nigeria to a Lebanese father and a Nigerian mother. Despite obstacles, Yemi Fawaz drove the industry to new heights.
She worked as a successful fashion and photographic model for 30 years, but she was also a fashion designer, beauty consultant, trade show organizer, chef, and restaurant owner.
Yemi Fawaz also established the first modeling school and agency in Nigeria and West Africa, enabling aspiring young African models to follow their ambitions.
She moved to the U.S. In 1997 from Nigeria. S. Despite the fact that her career slightly suffered after she became a born-again Christian, she still received the necessary recognition at international fashion shows and events.
She was recently recognized in Houston, Texas, where she was named the Nigerian Fashion Icon, according to reports.
The mother of one who is now a deaconess returned to Nigeria in 2016 to launch Banner of Love, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide healthcare and end poverty among the disadvantaged.
“When I was told I had a big heart, that’s when I got the idea to start Banner of Love. I was completely ignorant of NGO. My heart was broken, they said, and there was nothing they could do.
“I spoke to the Lord while turning to face the wall. If the Lord were to heal me, I would go out and lend a hand to others. I began conducting my research while I was ill, speaking with physicians, nurses, hospitals, and patients who had the same diagnosis. In a 2016 interview, she stated, “I later decided I should establish an NGO to aid people in Nigeria.
Fawaz, who was 61 at the time, claimed that despite appearing on some African newspaper front pages and continuing to plan fashion shows and write ups, among other things, she had not given up modeling.
However, the first Nigerian professional model voiced concerns about what was happening in the modeling business and blamed it on the lack of love, support, and jealousy among those working in the field.
“I battled for this nation for years. I battled the advertising companies so frequently that I eventually turned against them. For many years, the advertising firms blacklisted my business. I endured pain in silence. Because they were having trouble finding work, my models quit working with me.
All of this occurred as a result of my repeated warnings about the inappropriate way in which they handled young children.
She declared, “I think a Nigerian model should be making N10 million [$27,547.00] now.
Fawaz left Nigeria last year when her kidney started to fail after years of fighting colon cancer. She was a patient at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital when she passed away on Wednesday at the age of 64.