Halima Aden has touched down for a trip to the Emirates, and looks to be getting straight into the spirit of things.
She’s landed magazine covers, modelled for top brands including Yeezy and Alberta Ferretti, and has been snapped up by top agency IMG Models.
Yes, 2017 is most definitely Halima Aden’s year.
The Somali-American teen, who rose to fame after donning traditional Muslim dress to compete in a US beauty pageant last year, has been dominating the fashion industry of late.
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However it looks just she’s just scored a little time overseas for some quality sightseeing.
The 19-year-old, who made headlines as the first hijabi to model for some major Fashion Week shows this year, has touched down in the UAE this week.
Aden was flown into the Emirates by Etihad Airways for the annual Arabian Travel Market exhibition, where she posed with a falcon in a set-up of the airline’s onboard three-room suite.
(Yes, Etihad really does have a class that includes a living room, bedroom and en-suite on its A380).
“My new falcon friend and I take Dubai,” the model captioned the shot.
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Aden, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, also took in Abu Dhabi during her trip, where she appeared to stay at the Rosewood hotel on Al Maryah Island.
The teen posed with a hotel sculpture during her stay, wearing a black hijab and sleek white separates.
The model spoke out about her rise to fame in a recent interview, revealing she was “never expecting” to forge a career in the fashion industry.
However she’s using her new role to help inspire women just like her.
“Growing up, I knew what it was like not having representation. When I say representation, I just mean people who resemble you or someone you could relate to, or someone who even dresses like you,” Aden told i-D magazine.
“If I can give that opportunity to a girl, where she can flip through a magazine and see someone dressed like her, or someone who looks like her or has a similar background, I think that’s important.
“Me being out in the public and displaying my religion, my faith, being different to what the stereotype is — I think that has opened a lot of people’s eyes.”
Images: Halima Aden/Instagram
