Meriam Kaxuxwena’s One to Watch

•Clarice TheysSHE’s going places! And who knows, she might just get the attention of the big guns out there in the fashion world like Grootfontein’s Behati Prinsloo did.

Her name is Meriam Kaxuxwena and she is also from the north of Namibia. Twenty-three years old and already making waves internationally and on the continent.

Like most successful people, Kaxuxwena’s journey started as a child who did local beauty pageants at school from the age of 10. Then high school followed where she scooped a few titles in 2006 and 2007. After finishing Grade 12 in 2011, she decided to venture internationally as a catwalk model and the rest, as they say, is history.

2014 definitely marked her breakthrough. She was tremendously busy and 2015 will be no different because she’s fully booked out for the whole of the year. Already. On the continent, apart from fashion shows in Windhoek, she also wowed the crowd at the Angola International Fashion Show in Luanda last year.

“I’m a full-time model now and I must say it’s lots of fun. I’ve undergone a lot of changes and experiences… so much so that I can call myself a professional now. I believe that nothing else but 100% dedication is what brought me here,” the long-legged beauty explains.

With two shows in London – The Fashion and Beauty and the Fashion Finest in Nottingham City – already behind her, she is bound to go places.

“I took part in the World Bikini Model International pageant in China in August last year where girls from 48 countries competed and I won two awards – Best Catwalk Model and Best Complexion.”

The 1.77m tall, naturally slim Meriam also took part in Miss Tourism Universe in Lebanon and came out the winner as Miss Africa 2014.

In a world where models sometimes go through many challenges like having to lose weight and dealing with rejection on an almost daily basis, it is not always as rosy as the pictures imply.

“You have to have a strong character to deal with all the things that come your way. Sometimes agencies would tell you straightforward that you don’t fit to be a model and it’s sad… but you just have to keep trying. We all need to start somewhere,” she said.

What makes it extremely difficult is the idea of the perfect model who is expected for advertisements and pictures, plus agents and designers are hard to please. They seem to be never really satisfied.

“One thing a model should not do is gain weight!” she laughs. “I’m lucky, I’m naturally skinny. I can eat anything and won’t put on weight.

“Other model traits are being friendly, easy to work with and confident in front of the camera. Personally I’m also very adamant to come out tops so I’m totally dedicated to my work and staying fit and healthy all the time.”

Kaxuxwena is a catwalk model but also does pageants and commercials as well as photography modelling. She claims that, as a runway model, one must be slender, usually a size six, and you need to be taller than 1.73m.

Although hard work, modelling is also fun and allows her to go places she never thought she’d go. Opportunities always present themselves to network with big fashion designers to gain new experience and to boost her confidence.

“I think our industry is still young, vibrant and growing but we need to organise more fashion shows. We need good agencies and we need the support from our own people. Big companies should start using models to promote their brands on TV adverts or on billboards.

“I’ve noticed that in Namibia modelling is not taken very seriously. People still think that it’s not a paying career but I can confirm that you can make a living out of modelling, depending on how busy you are. I’m lucky, I’ve worked hard and I’m fully booked from January until December. I now have the right connections with international event organisations and I always make sure to attend any castings I hear about and apply for upcoming international pageants.”

Being a freelance model demands that she sometimes has to organise her own shows. Other times she works through agencies.

“All my fashion shows are paid work and all the titles I’ve won during those international beauty pageants brought in good money which I’m saving to further my studies in London.”

Kaxuxwena has been selected as the official model to represent Namibia in Ivory Coast in Miss Districts International 2015 from 25 January until 7 February, competing with other international models from different countries.

“After Ivory Coast, I need to be in London on 15 February for two fashion shows since it’s the London Fashion Week and I’m thrilled to be there once again. From 2 March until 9 March, I will be in Algeria for an international pageant Miss Diamond of the World to represent Namibia.”

Determined to achieve even better than last year, Kaxuxwena has her sights set on bigger cities of fashion like New York, Paris and Italy and that means non-stop work until she finds a good agency to sign her. “I am confident about this and believe I can reach my goals. I’m happy if I can inspire aspiring models in Namibia,” she said.