From restaurant server in Nigeria to runway model in Paris
This young man is living out a dream he didn't even consider...
Can you imagine what it feels like to be discovered by an international brand and your life gets turned upside down?
Well, one young Nigerian who worked as a restaurant worker in Lagos, Nigeria, experienced a real-life rags-to-riches story. Gbolahan Yusuf is said to have been discovered by Temitope Olaore, a model scout from Cias Models Management.
"Cias Models, founded by Femi Alabi in Lagos, is a scouting, development, and model representation company focused on transforming lives through fashion." (Premium Times Nigeria)
Although the discovery was made in 2023, the video showing Gbolahan's story that has been circulating on social media went viral recently when it was posted in June 2024.
Olaore said: “I was a very regular customer at the restaurant in Surulere last year. I had visited there countless times to get food and seen Gbolahan quite often.
“Until one day, it clicked! I looked at him as he printed my bill over the desk and thought. I said to myself, ‘How come I haven’t seen this? How did it take me so long to realise?’ Without hesitating, I took out my phone and made the first video.” (Premium Times Nigeria)
Gbolahan made his fashion runway debut walking for Fendi at the Milan Fashion Week Men’s SS25, held from 14 to 18 June 2024 in Italy.
Watch the video below, courtesy of Instagram.
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Image Courtesy of Instagram