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Oluchi Onweagba
Date of birth	19821
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria1
Height	6'1 (US), 185cm (EU)1
Hair color	Black1
Eye color	Brown1
Measurements	34-24-35 (US); 86.5-61-89 (EU)1
Weight	128 lb (58 kg; 9.1 st)
Dress size	4 (US), 34 (EU)1
Shoe size	9 (US), 41 (EU)1
Agency	DNA Model Management Storm Models Viva Models OmodelAfrica
Official website

Oluchi Onweagba (born 1982) is a Nigerian model.¹

Biography

Onweagba's first name in her native Igbo language means "God's Work".¹² Her father was a civil servant, and her mother was a nurse.¹ She and her siblings (two brothers and a sister) lived on Ayilara Street, Ojuelegba, in Surulere, a low-income area of the Lagos (the Nigerian commercial capital) metropolis. During high school, she enjoyed playing tennis and ping pong. Supposedly, she was discovered while she was selling bread on the streets of Lagos in order to make ends meet.

In August 2005, she married her longtime companion, Italian fashion designer Luca Orlandi³. On April 25 2007 their son Ugochukwu was born.

Discovery and Breakthrough

She was urged by a family friend to enter into the M-Net "Face of Africa" preliminary screening at the M-Net office in Victoria Island, Lagos. The agency groomed her to be one of Nigeria's entrants for the 1998 competition (now called the Nokia Face of Africa). This despite the fact that, growing up, she had maintained a relative ignorance towards fashion and modeling. With the support of her family and friends, she decided to compete in the inaugural edition of the Face of Africa in 1998. This was the first-ever continent-wide model competition, organized by the South African channel M-Net in collaboration with Elite Model Management. She won the competition.⁴ She was just seventeen years old. Elite Model Management awarded Onweagba a three-year modeling contract.

Career Trajectory

After moving to New York City, where she still lives, Onweagba graced the covers of Italian Vogue, i-D, ELLE, Untold, and Surface; she also was featured in Nylon, Marie Claire, Allure, and other national editions of Vogue around the world. She became the face of campaigns for Gianfranco Ferré, Gap, Express, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor, as well as working for Victoria's Secret. Onweagba's runway experience has been with John Galliano, Christian Dior, Costume National, Chanel, and Giorgio Armani, amongst others, in London, Milan, Tokyo and Paris. She has worked with such notable photographers as Steven Meisel, Nick Knight, and Patrick Demarchelier.

Beyond modeling, she tries to serve as a role model for other aspiring talents in Nigeria, especially young girls. She volunteers her time and her image for such NGOs as LEAP Africa (an entrepreneurship incubator) and NIPRO. She also is continuing her higher education, having studied for an associate's degree in the New York City educational system.

After her three-year contract with Elite expired, she signed with DNA Model Management. A highlight of her career so far was when she was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue four times, from 2005 to 2008.

In 2008, she launched a modeling agency in South Africa, OModel Africa, with offices in Johanesburg and recently in Cape Town. The 2008 winner of M-Net Face of Africa, Kate Tachie-Menson, was awarded a US $50,000 modeling contract by OModel Africa.

In 2009, Onweagba is expected to host the inaugural West Africa's Next Top Model.

References

External links

• Official Website
• Oluchi on MySpace
• Oluchi Onweagba at the Internet Movie Database
• Oluchi Onweagba at Fashion Model Directory
• 2006 SI Swimsuit Issue gallery
• Oluchi Onweagba at AskMen.com