It's no secret that the America's Next Top Model franchise has yet to produce a single credible model in its entire 17 Cycle run. Well all of that is about to change with 24 year old ANTM Cycle 10 reject, Fatima Siad, who caught the eye of casting director Russell Marsh at the Paris Spring/Summer 2012 shows. Marsh cast the Somali-Ethiopian model in the Dries Van Noten show alongside big name models including Karmen Pedaru and Sigrid Agren, and the effect snowballed from there with Siad landing appearances at Hermes, Andrew Gn, Moncler Gamme Rouge and Thierry Colson.
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| Surprise Package Arise - Issue 13 Photographer - Itaysha Jordan |
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| Arise - Issue 13 Photographer - Itaysha Jordan Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Siad had a particularly turbulent childhood, having undergone female genital mutilation at the age of seven. Siad's parents divorced at an early age, and she and her two siblings were raised by her mother. Siad and her mother fled to the US when she was thirteen, following the death of her two sisters at the hands of the Somali army during the civil war.
I'll admit that when I first noticed Siad at the Andrew Gn Spring/Summer 2012 show in Paris, I had no inkling as to her identity nor the ANTM connection. I was enamoured by her refined and elegant features and her immaculate skin tone. I'm hoping that the exposure garnered at the Paris shows will open doors for Siad in the seasons ahead as she possesses an exquisite beauty that deserves recognition.
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| Andrew Gn - S/S 2012 Photographer - Filippo Fior |
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| Thierry Colson - S/S 2012 Photographer - Unknown Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Hermes - S/S 2012 Photographer - Alessandro Viero |
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| Dries Van Noten - S/S 2012 Photographer - Yannis Vlamos |
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| Moncler Gamme Rouge - S/S 2012 Photographer - Marcus Tondo All runway images unless otherwise noted courtesy of style.com |