Dawn Leak

In my quest to start a career as a fashion model, I made a conscious decision to journey to Europe. My first stop was Paris. And, yes, I faced a lot of rejection, but I put my ego aside and continued to soldier on in my pursuit of becoming a working fashion model. I finally got signed by Elite Paris and from that point on, it was a domino effect. I started to work in Milan, Rome, London, Amsterdam, Sweden, Germany and Austria. I appeared in magazines such as German Elle, German Max, Vogue and Italian Amica and became the face of Africa Absolut Vodka. Blessings continued to come, in which I graced the catwalks and showrooms of Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler, Azzedine Alaia, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano. My dreams and passions have always been driven by fashion. And, now at 60 years of age, I know that I make a difference in tearing down the stigma of age in the fashion industry. I am now an influential fashion model with more than 700K plus followers on Instagram. My Instagram handle is @dawnlydialnyc.