She was a refugee — now this teen walks the runway for fashion world heavy hitters
David Bell | CBC News | Posted: March 24, 2018 3:09 AM | Last Updated: March 24, 2018
Nya Gatbel used to be a Sudanese refugee; now she's the talk of European fashion houses
Just a couple of months ago, Nya Gatbel was a typical Calgary high school student. Now the 17-year-old Sudanese Calgarian is one of the fashion world's rising stars, walking the runway for the likes of Giorgio Armani and Guy Laroche.
Gatbel tells CBC Calgary News at 11 she didn't see it coming.
"It was honestly by chance. I never thought I would take it internationally, I was just doing a couple of local things and I was happy with that," she said.
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"We decided to attempt to get on the international scene and it worked."
Her first show was in Milan and she was nervous.
"It was a Lucio Vanotti show and I was just so excited to have been confirmed for the show, because it's not guaranteed that you are going to walk in any shows at all," Gatbel said.
"I was so happy for the fact that I got one show. I'm in. I got my foot in the door. I was definitely a bundle of nerves backstage."
She says many fellow models have been supportive, because many are at the same point in their career as she is.
But not all.
"It is an industry that if you don't have thick skin, you can get can chewed up and spit out. Going into this industry couldn't have been a better time, because I have been through all that bullying stuff before. If someone says not such nice things to me, you just take it with a grain of salt."
Gatbel's biggest fan is her mom.
"Everyone is super proud, especially my mom. She grew up in Ethiopia with not much, moving over to Canada to try and give me a better life," she said.
The family moved to Canada as refugees. Growing up, Gatbel says she didn't always feel good about herself.
"Not matter what anyone tells you, your skin is so precious. I remember being younger and wanting to bleach my skin, that is how much I hated it," she said.
That, however, is not the case today.
"Black skin is so beautiful, not matter what anyone tells you."
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With files from CBC Calgary News at 11