Black History in Fashion: Roshumba Williams

via: Roshumba.com

Roshumba began her modeling career in 1987, she left her family home in Peoria Illinois for Paris France with $150 and a dream to become one of the world’s top models.  Upon arriving in Paris she pounded the pavement for two days and found an agent who immediately sent her to see fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.   Mr. Saint Laurent originally hired Roshumba to be a fit model but he was so impressed by her talent he put her on the runway in his haute couture fashion show.  The exposure led to other high profile runway assignments with world famous designers Christian Dior, Chanel, Versace, Armani, Michael Kors, Carmen Marc Valvo and others.

Roshumba’s fresh natural beauty drew the attention of many magazine editors that led to her gracing the pages and covers of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Essence and Cosmopolitan.   Covergirl, Maybelline, Clairol and Hanes Hoisery featured Roshumba in multiple advertisements.

What took Roshumba from being just another model to a household name were her five appearances in the infamous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.  She proved to be such a favorite among the magazine’s readers, Sports Illustrated inducted her into their Swimsuit Hall Of Fame along with Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum.

Roshumba worked as a top model for over a decade. During her world travels to high profile modeling assignments she discovered that there were no books on the market the shared industry secrets from an insider’s point-of-view.  Her first book The Complete Idiots Guide To Being A Model was released in 1999.  It’s a step by step, how to guide book that provides in-depth insight into the modeling world.  The first book was such a success, Roshumba released the second edition in 2007.

Roshumba is dedicated to helping those less fortunate, her charities include, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation and The Revlon Breast Cancer Awareness initiatives.

For more information visit: http://www.roshumba.com/