www.imanimodels.com

Liz Ogumbo: What I do and what I think it means to society..

Imani International Model Management (US) is a full service model management group, incorporated in 2004 by Liz Ogumbo in Los Angeles, CA with her main focus in runway modeling, and later incorporated in Africa – Nairobi Kenya in 2005. The agency was created to;

Raise the bar and to be a figurehead for Africa by providing high-level expertise in the fashion modeling industry, focusing mainly on runway, editorial, print and commercial modeling.

Create channels between Africa and the international fashion industry. This is to provide A platform to expose and elevate and create opportunity for the African model.…. In the light of nurturing the untapped fashion experience within Africa.

To help the girl child develop by empowering her.

To create a platform where the fashion industry can showcase their potential both locally and internationally through different networks.

Imani models represents several models internationally enabling them to work in Africa, NYC, LA, Germany, Milano, Paris and London with clients such as Imani Hse Of Fashion, Mercedes Benz fashion week, Coke, Dasani, Smirnoff, KEMA, Levon Mouradia, Petro Montegos, Diva Labelle University of Modeling, True Love, QZ magazine, WAPI, British Council, National Youth Violence Prevention (UN-HABITAT) vogue, Armani Exchange, UNODC campaign, Mizani, just to mention a few.

In early 2007, Imani Hse Of Fashion; a collection of simple, edgy, sensual yet elegant designs whose mission is to be the preferred affordable brand name of clothing, and accessories, for ‘The cosmopolitans’ was introduced into the market by Liz Ogumbo.

This line has brought in a new expression of arts and creativity within fashion through the colors, the fabric, the style, the edge, the designs and detail.

It has also created job opportunities for the youth who have the creativity, but have no credentials or platform to case their work.

Running skill-factory fashion labs every other month, through British Council, Nairobi to help people within the fashion industry understand how the international fashion industry works; Training models on the runway, Portfolio building for models, make-up artists and designers, Composite cards, Challenges within the industry and how to cope, entrepreneurship within the arts world etc.

Why I wrote this book Media has always exposed the good and glamorous side of

the modeling industry, but not much is really covered on the bad and the ugly side of the realities.

 I do not convince the current models as well as the wanabees on how many hours to spend at the gym, or how to avoid fats in diet, or how to take care of their skin and drink lots of water. That is not my game; I did not play that!

 This is the story of Liz Ogumbo, as I share some of my experiences as an African model, my laughs and cries in the industry: health issue; drugs and anorexia, age and size factor, the white versus the black, respect for models and the profession, my ‘ban against size zero models’ campaign and how they affect me today, my spiritual approach and the best I can get from my past to make a better future for me and the industry I relate to everyday... And 7 years later, after ‘runway,’ I realize that I cannot save the world

“The Modeling industry (in African context); Who is the ideal model?” has not been written exclusively for the

‘models!’ However, I have been inspired by my life and then the

lives of the average fashion models who have and continue to do whatever they need to do, to maintain their title. It is easier

to be cynical about fashion when you are not involved in the

fashion industry….But if you take time to really pay more

attention, you will learn a lot!”

 

WAPI is a programme that creates a marriage between visual and verbal art thus Words and Pictures. It involves all underground artists such as painters, illustrators, graffiti artists, cartoonists, poets, public speakers, spoken word speakers, B-Boys, MCs and singers, rappers and fashion designers. WAPI was established in the bid of promoting any work of art that has positive content and intent. These artists are overlooked by the media as they do not follow the mainstream way of promoting music that is commercialized. They are a growing breed of young determined artists who have not been discovered by the mainstream media, but have found a platform to showcase their arts at WAPI, which they continue to use irregardless of how unknown they are to the mainstream.

WAPI as a programme is now approaching a year of promoting positive content and illustrations within the urban arts underground community. It has provided a forum for artists to express their political and social take on what is occurring on a worldwide and personal note, from their views on poverty and politics to their views on how they feel about love, growth, art and themselves.

WAPI is a positive expression by these extremely creative artists of their dreams, their needs, their wants and situations. It provides a place where they can be heard and in return listen to others in promoting the common cause of empowering young artists, and has now expanded to Daresalaam and Lagos and is launching in Accra and Dakar next.

Due to the Post election violence inNairobi, Kenya since December 2007 up to date, with support of the UN-Habitat, I volunteered my time to get into a team of youth leaders to come up with ways in which we could communicate with the youth and create a sense of calmness and non-violence, through activities they relate to such as; Music, Fashion, Soccer etc.

We have managed to organize one concert in Nairobi, and hope to hit every other city in Kenya. The impact is big and the youth are now focusing their energies on the best from their pasts, and not the violence.

My faith (‘Imani’in swahili language, which is where my agency name originates from) in God, and everything else I believe in.

I started out as a runway model after getting approached by many fashion industry professionals from NYC, LA, Milano, Paris, London etc and doing a lot of shows and shoots mainly in the US for about 8 years.I made a lot of networks and friends, some good some bad, made a lot of bad decisions and took note of the challenges that I faced in the industry as an African model, and how I could help other models deal with that better than I did.

I took the best from my past based on all my experiences to be a stronger and more enabling person to my community (the fashion industry).

Persistence, consistency, hard work, determination, never quitting, always finishing what I started no matter how long it takes.

My passion for fashion, Africa, music, and life.

My creator My mentors and everyone that strive to get to

the sky, which is the limit My dad – A successful enterpreneur in Nairobi,

Kenya, a friend and a mentor to me. Strong people who have proved to me and

others that nothing can stop you from fullfiling your dream, if you believe in yourself; Like Iman, Somali-Kenyan ex-supermodel, Oprah Winfrey, Tyra Banks, Kimora Lee Simmons, Alex Okosi Vice president, MTV Networks, Eno Inwek, African Charm Jewellery, LA, Awah The, Digicentric, Katoucha, just to mention a few.

Knowing that I leave behind a positive impact/ influence in some of the projects that I undertake with the youth.

Out of all the lessons I have learnt, the key things are:

Time is of essence; Time never waits on anyone or anything and once it is wasted, it can never be recovered.

In every project/organization, something works. What we focus on becomes our reality The language we use creates our reality We have the responsibility to celebrate our

successes We learn best from what is working. The act of asking questions to an organization

influences that organization in the same way It is very important to value difference We tend to have more confidence to journey the

future when we carry forward parts of the past; But, lets carry the best of the past forward.

Feel free to contact me incase of any inquiries. Those who need mentorship are mostly welcome. Those who think they have what it takes to get signed by the agency, kindly log on to the website and apply.

Distance may be there, but we can do this through email, as long as you believe in yourself and your mission.

Email:Liz@imanimodels.com Skype: lizogumbo Tel: +254 725 227 453