The four Tanzanian women : Redefining what global fashion representation looks like

The world of fashion is unforgiving. Models rise, fade, and are quickly replaced in a carousel that rarely pauses to celebrate legacy. Yet, amid this whirlwind, four Tanzanian women have carved names so enduring, so profound, that their records still stand unchallenged.

Flaviana Matata, Miriam Odemba, Tausi Likokola and Herieth Paul are not merely faces on billboards; they are the very definition of Tanzanian excellence on the global stage.

Their journeys are different, their styles unique, but together they represent a story of ambition, courage and resilience, a story that continues to inspire generations.

Flaviana Matata: The bold pioneer

When Flaviana Matata stepped onto the Miss Universe stage in 2007 with a shaved head, she was not just the first Tanzanian to compete in the contest, she was rewriting beauty standards for the world.

Crowned Miss Universe Tanzania that same year, she went on to finish in the Top 10, an unprecedented achievement for her country. Her boldness made her a standout, but it was only the beginning.

Within years, she was walking international runways, gracing magazine covers and fronting global campaigns.

Her career placed her on Forbes Africa’s 2013 list of the seven highest-earning models on the continent.

By 2017, OkayAfrica named her among the Top 100 Women in Africa, recognising her influence far beyond the catwalk.

Yet Matata has never confined herself to glamour alone. She launched her own beauty line, appeared on billboards for global brands, and founded the Flaviana Matata Foundation, which continues to invest in the education and empowerment of girls in Tanzania.

What sets her apart is not just her beauty, but her refusal to let the industry define her limits.

Miriam Odemba: The fighter who never quit

If Matata is a pioneer, Miriam Odemba is the fighter who never quit. She began young, crowned Miss Temeke in 1997 before storming regional and continental stages. At 19, she was a runner-up in M-Net’s Face of Africa 1998, later representing Tanzania at the Elite Model Look contest in France.

In 2008 she reached a global peak, earning the Miss Earth – Air crown, effectively second in the world at one of the industry’s most respected pageants.

Odemba’s career has been punctuated by resilience. She modelled across continents, often navigating challenges that might have silenced lesser talents. But she pushed on, and her second act has proven even more influential than the first.

In 2019 she launched the Miriam Odemba Foundation (MOF), headquartered between East Africa and France.

Its work stretches from combating gender-based violence to supporting children with disabilities, from inspiring young girls to mentoring vulnerable women in rural communities.

Recently, her foundation named rising designer Anjali Borkhataria as an ambassador, a symbolic handover to the next generation.

On August 2025, Odemba unveiled Sauti ya Mitindo (Voice of Fashion), a landmark event in Dar es Salaam that brought together veterans and rising stars to plot the future of Tanzanian fashion.

For Odemba, modelling was never the endgame; it was the platform from which she would build a movement.

Tausi Likokola: The queen of longevity

In an industry notorious for discarding its stars after a few seasons, Tausi Likokola has endured and flourished.

She has worked for Gucci, Christian Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Issey Miyake and Escada, and appeared on the covers of countless international magazines.

For decades, her name has been synonymous with Tanzanian grace abroad.

But Likokola’s story is not just about longevity. It is about transformation. She co-founded the Tausi Aids Fund (TAF), a non-profit dedicated to improving education and healthcare for children.

She has published books — The Art of Beauty and Health, The African Princess, Beautiful You, and The Touch of an Angel — using her platform to inspire women beyond the runway.

As a motivational speaker, mentor and businesswoman, she has helped guide young models into the cut-throat world of high fashion. Likokola has proven that modelling can be more than a fleeting career — it can be a legacy.

Herieth Paul: The face of a new generation

While Likokola represents endurance, Herieth Paul embodies the new face of global fashion.

Discovered at 14 after moving with her diplomat mother to Canada, she quickly signed with Women Management New York in 2010. From there, her ascent was meteoric.

Paul has walked for Diane von Fürstenberg, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Armani, Cavalli and Lacoste.

She has fronted editorials for Vogue Italia, i-D, Teen Vogue and more.

In 2011, she appeared on the cover of Elle Canada with the bold headline, “Naomi Move Over.” Two years later, she became one of the faces of Tom Ford’s celebrated Fall/Winter campaign — ranked among the best campaigns of 2013 by industry critics.

In 2016, Paul took a step few African models have managed: she signed as a global ambassador for Maybelline New York. In beauty aisles across continents, her face became a household presence.

She remains one of Tanzania’s most visible cultural exports today.

Unbeatable legacies

What binds these four women together is not only their success but their impact. They have broken barriers, commanded international stages, fronted global campaigns, and then turned their fame into tools for change.

Matata redefined beauty and built businesses. Odemba fought through the challenges to create a foundation and a movement. Likokola blended fashion with philanthropy and literature. Paul leapt from catwalks to global beauty contracts, proving that Tanzanian women can dominate the most competitive stages in the world.

Together, they have set a standard no Tanzanian model has yet surpassed. Their careers are not just long résumés of achievements but powerful statements that Tanzanian beauty, intelligence and resilience belong at the very heart of global fashion.

Until another generation rises to match their scope, these four women remain, without doubt, the unbeatable icons of Tanzanian modelling