Online Reporter
Langalihle Mhiti
Zimpapers Entertainment Hub
ZIMBABWE’S modelling scene is ready for a major shake-up with local models heading for Kenya for Africa’s Next Supermodel.
The breakthrough follows a partnership between Njanike Talent Academy and Africa’s Next Supermodel.
It gives Zimbabwean models a rare opportunity to step onto a continental platform and catch the attention of international fashion scouts.
For years, Zimbabwe has produced models with the looks, confidence and runway presence to compete beyond the country’s borders.
But getting them through the international door has remained a challenge.
Now that door is opening.
Njanike Talent Academy founder, Tatenda Njanike, said the partnership was designed to address the missing link between Zimbabwean runway talent and the international fashion industry.
“Since I’ve been a model myself there has not been a pathway for Zim’s fashion runway models to enter the global market,” Njanike said.
“Through our partnership with Africa’s Next Supermodel search we have forged not just a pathway for Zimbabwean representation on global runways but a sustainable way to youth financial inclusion through fashion and modelling.”
Africa’s Next Supermodel has grown from Nigeria’s Next Super Model into a broader African scouting platform, bringing together emerging models and industry professionals.
The platform says it has discovered and signed more than 200 models, with its reach extending to major fashion destinations around the world.
For Zimbabwean models, the attraction is simple — exposure, connections and the possibility of being noticed by people who can take a career to another level.
“Our models will be going for the first time. It’s all expenses paid for and just one model usually from a country, sometimes two,” Njanike said.
The opportunity comes at a time when African models are increasingly commanding attention on international runways.
South Sudanese-British model Alek Wek remains one of the continent’s most recognised fashion success stories.
Discovered in London, she went on to work with major designers and become a familiar face on international magazine covers.
Ethiopian model Liya Kebede also turned an international modelling career into a global brand, working with major fashion houses and beauty companies.
Nigeria has produced its own fashion heavyweights, including Agbani Darego, who made history after winning Miss World in 2001 before establishing herself in the international fashion industry.
Mayowa Nicholas is another Nigerian success story, having walked for major fashion brands and built an international modelling profile.
Njanike wants Zimbabwean models to believe they too can make that leap.
“This is a breakthrough for us to be able to, I would say, partner with an international agency,” he said.
The partnership is also expected to give the academy valuable exposure to how the international modelling business operates.
For Njanike, however, the bigger fight is visibility.
He believes Southern African models are sometimes overlooked when conversations turn to African fashion.
“Usually, when they say African model, they think of those Western and Eastern models.
“They don’t really speak much or any about the Southern African model,” he said.
That is a narrative he wants Zimbabwe to help change.
Established in 2024, Njanike Talent Academy trains models, actors, voice-over artists, designers and managers, while its key areas include fashion modelling, commercial modelling and pageantry.
The academy has already been involved in fashion shows and commercial modelling opportunities and now wants to widen its reach.
A national modelling competition is planned for next year, with the academy hoping to discover fresh faces from across Zimbabwe.
The ambitions do not end there.
Njanike wants to build partnerships with other Southern African countries and eventually create a regional network that can connect models with opportunities across the continent.
