Andrea Van Der Westhuizen
- Thread starter TheoG
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Fashion Mayhem
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Marie Claire South Africa, August 2016
Marie Claire South Africa digital edition
Marie Claire South Africa digital edition
Mea Culpa
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imgmodels
Andrea, or “Andy" as she is affectionately referred to by close friends and family, hails from South Africa and is a runway star-in-the-making. Already 6ft tall at age fifteen, Andy's biggest dream is walking in the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show; she cites Karlie Kloss and Candice Swanepoel among her favorite supermodels. “Not only because [Candice] is also South African," she explains, "I just love her!”
IMG Models VP Jeni Rose shares, “We’re super happy Andrea is our first #WLYG signing. It’s truly amazing because she comes from the other side of the world, yet she was discovered on Instagram. Best of all, her parents could not be more supportive!”
Andy on her @WeLoveYourGenes Experience: "I found out about @WeLoveYourGenes one week after it launched. I already knew a few things about IMG and their involvement in fashion, as well as sports and entertainment. I tagged a few of my photos #WLYG, but I soon discovered that hundreds of people were also submitting images. I thought, “This isn’t going to work!” Twenty hours later—Yes, I still remember the number of hours—Jeni Rose contacted me and asked me to put her in contact with my parents since I’m underage. She spoke to my parents and requested more images and a video.
A few weeks after I submitted the requested materials, I was studying in my bedroom one evening when my dad called me downstairs and told me to read his email. I saw a message from Jeni Rose and my heart skipped a beat. She said that IMG 'loved my genes' and wanted to sign me! I screamed and danced, and ran up and down the stairs so many times that night! My little sister was so annoyed with the noise I created, but I couldn’t contain my excitement!”
Andrea also enjoys taking photos with friends, and binge-watching 90’s coming-of-age films on weekends, “10 Things I Hate About You is the best!”
Her mother is a professor of languages, and she has one younger sister. “Her mother and I," Mr. Van der Westhuizen shared, “have a deep appreciation for the arts, but it stops there…Andy is the creative one.” Her father, a chemistry and mathematics professor, continued, “Andy has always had an interest in doing her own makeup and modeling, even as very small child. [laughs] Being scouted by IMG—via Instagram of all places—seems like her self-fulfilling prophecy!”
Andrea is our first @WeLoveYourGenes signing, but definitely not our last! Stay tuned for more information on the next crop of our newly-minted #IMGirls.
INSTAGRAM @andreavdwest
