The fashion industry said my dreadlocks would stop me working. They were wrong
There’s a lot of politics tied up in black hair, says Miu Miu model Adesuwa Aighewi, but nothing should stop self-expression
When I got my hair dreadlocked ahead of New York fashion week, I had some pushback from people in the industry worried that I wouldn’t get jobs – the suggestion was that I might look “too black”. But I enjoy being different and standing out – so I decided to keep them and take my chances.
Two days later, my agents in New York called to say Coach had cast me to open their spring/summer 2018 show at New York. I couldn’t believe it – I’ve walked in other shows in the past, but this was a career-changer. I went on to walk for Miu Miu in Paris and Bottega Veneta in Milan, which is a classic Italian brand not known for using edgy models. I was thrilled – a girl with dreads walking for brands like those, that’s crazy.
