Celebrating Agbani Darego

Agbani Darego in 2002

In 2001, she shocked the world, beating over 70 gorgeous girls to emerge as Miss World.

Young, beautiful and natural, Agbani Darego is a young woman full of promise. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, she is the sixth of eight children. At the age of two, she moved to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and says her childhood was loving and memorable, although it was tainted by the death of her mother, who passed away due to breast cancer when Agbani was eleven.

She attended Bereton Montessory Nursery & primary school, Federal Government Girls College (F.G.G.C) Abuloma, where she was awarded ‘Most distinguished Alumni’ in 2010, and the University of Port Harcourt, where she studied Computer Science for a year before her foray into the pageant world.

In 2001, she achieved great success when she won Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN).

During her reign as MBGN, she represented Nigeria in the 2001 Miss Universe competition, held in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. She placed among the top 10 semi-finalists, finishing seventh. She was the only black semi-finalist that year – and the only finalist to wear a one-piece swimsuit as opposed to the more popular bikini. Encouraged by her position at Miss Universe in 2001, Agbani then competed at the Miss World pageant in November 2001, which she won, becoming the first native Sub-Saharan African to claim the title, a victory widely welcomed in Nigeria.

Agbani was honoured with the Nigerian national honour ‘Member of the Order of the Federal Republic’ (MFR) after her win as Miss World in 2001.

During her reign, she visited a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, South Africa, Puerto Rico, the United States, Germany, Italy, China, Spain and France. She was a public favourite, as for the first time in the history of the Miss World Pageant; TV Viewers were invited to participate in the Final Vote. Since then, Agbani has made appearances at and judged the Miss World pageant, as well as Miss England, Miss Bulgaria, MR Scotland, Miss Tanzania and the Most Beautiful girl in Nigeria pageants.

In 2002, she relocated to London for two years. There, she signed with Top Modeling Agency Next Model Management and worked, strutting the catwalks during Fashion Week, gracing Magazine Editorials, and clinching the distinguished beauty endorsement with L’Oreal, which ended in 2005.

In 2003, she made the move to New York, where she signed with Next Model Management NY for four years (2003 – 2007), and later moved to Ford Models NY; featuring in numerous beauty and fashion advertising and commercials, including Avon, Christian Dior beauty, Sephora, Target, and Macy’s, to name a few. She graced more pages of several magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, Allure, Trace, Stitch, Cosmopolitan, Essence magazine , working with respected designers like Oscar de la Renta, Marc Bouwer, Tommy Hillfiger, Ralph Lauren, Gianfranco Ferre, and eminent Photographers Annie Leibovitz, Markus Klinko, and Richard Burbridge.

Always the multi-tasker, she then decided to finish up her education in 2007, enrolling at the prestigious New York University (NYU) where she majored in Psychology, graduating in 2012.

Agbani currently works with Ford Models NY and often shuttles between New York & Lagos.

Culled from www.agbanidarego.com

Photo Credit: Lalo Yasky/WireImage