Crossing continents, overcoming bullies and refusing to compromise her values – MALAIKA FIRTH’s serene beauty hides a steely resolve. NATALIE EVANS-HARDING meets a thoroughly modern model.
It’s a scorching hot day in LA and Malaika Firth is patiently waiting beneath the Union Jack flag of The London West Hollywood hotel. She arrived an hour early and has already devoured a full English breakfast to pass the time. Dressed in an oversized shirt, no makeup, and looking nonchalantly cool in contrast to the formalities of the trussed-up bellboys helping coiffed guests to check in, the 21-year-old model might be the most authentic ‘London’ thing about the hotel.
Born in Mombasa, Kenya, Firth’s early childhood was spent dining at her grandmother’s restaurant and swimming in her pool in the brilliant African sunshine. Yet she was more than willing to leave all that behind when, aged seven, she and her family moved to Barking, east London. Urban, rainy England was thrilling for the young Firth: “It had everything! I loved it. England set me up; I am in the position I am in now because of it.”
The “position” she is referring to is indeed an enviable one: she is a campaign star for Burberry, Prada and Valentino; the face of Marc Jacobs’ Daisy Eau So Fresh fragrance; and regularly shoots with top-tier photographers from Peter Lindbergh to Mario Testino. Nevertheless, it is somewhat surprising to hear of her loyalty, because the no-nonsense model has been very open about the hardships she endured moving to the UK. Money struggles at home meant that the young Malaika had to share a bedroom with her sister and aunt, while keeping up with the latest school fads was impossible. “I felt embarrassed because I couldn’t [compete]. My parents wanted to get things for me but they were struggling,” says Firth. She was tormented by bullies in her new home country, too; her typically lean Kenyan frame led to children shouting ‘anorexic’ at her in the street and at school. She was spat on, and dreaded summer, when she’d have to expose her body more. “I would wear lots of tights – seven pairs – to go to school, just because I wanted to fit in,” says Firth. “But now I feel blessed because I know how much I’ve been through, and my career is one where people love my body. I’ll be posing in a bikini and I’ll think, ‘I’m modeling this bikini and people used to call me names because of my shape. Well, try and make fun of me now!’”
Firth is right to be proud of the heights she has climbed in the industry. After all, in 2013, she was the first black model to score a Prada campaign in nearly 20 years. “Maybe they were just waiting for me…” Firth says, grinning, about the Italian label’s decision to cast her. “Race as an ‘issue’ though? I think it’s so old [fashioned]; it’s so over. People are always trying to bring it up. The younger generation don’t ‘see’ race. It’s not, ‘Oh, you’re white, I’m black, you’re Chinese.’ Of course I feel there should be more darker-skinned girls in [campaigns]. But [getting jobs shouldn’t be] about color. It’s about work ethic.”
Firth attributes her ballsy attitude to her grandparents, but it obviously didn’t skip a generation: it was her mother, Jeci, who launched her daughter’s career when Malaika was 17. Once an aspiring model herself, Jeci had watched British TV documentary series The Model Agency, which followed daily life at Premier Model Management.
“I remember it very well,” says Premier founder Carol White. “Jeci rang at 8.30am the morning after the first episode of The Model Agency aired, asking if she could send me photos of her daughter. Malaika was so beautiful, like a little deer; I loved her and took her on immediately.” Stories like this are rare in the industry, says White: “Only about two percent of walk-ins are successful. It’s hard to find girls with everything you need physically, with the right attitude and personality.”
Firth has put her “attitude” to use outside her career, too. She even has an unorthodox approach to dating. Aged 19, having never had a boyfriend, Firth liked the idea of her first beau being a male model. Scrolling through Twitter, she pluckily shot one such model a message. “I saw his icon, searched his name in Google, saw some of his YouTube interviews, and liked his energy. Everyone wants to talk about that spicy guy!” she says, dissolving into laughter. The “spicy guy” was Ralph Lauren model Nate Gill, and after sending that message a year ago, the two are still together. “It helps that we’re in the same industry. We’re both Aries, fire signs, so there’s a bit of competitiveness, but he’s also very positive, which is good because there can be a lot of negativity,” says Firth, who initially found the modeling world to be “very catty”. “I could feel the energy – a lot of jealousy. Now it’s changed; everyone hangs out together. I like that.”
Despite professing to lead a quiet life outside work, preferring a good book to partying, Firth confesses that the last time she was in LA she went clubbing with fellow British model Suki Waterhouse. She’s not short of invitations: Cara Delevingne asked Firth to text her to go out dancing, and Naomi Campbell’s details are also stored in her phone (she offers sage career advice, the younger model reports). Further influential supporters include model Jourdan Dunn, British super-stylist Edward Enninful and makeup artist Pat McGrath, who have all taken Firth under their wing. But it was Kate Moss who made the biggest impression. “I didn’t know what to say to her; she must have thought I was a weirdo,” Firth laughs. “She styled me for a Vogue shoot. It was great working with her because she had a DJ set up and there was alcohol – it was a very comfortable, fun environment. I wish all shoots were like that, but I guess because she’s a model, she understands it.”
Despite the temptations of her glamorous, jet-set lifestyle, Firth’s family and faith have helped set firm boundaries in the industry. As a Baptist, she prays before every show and declines nude work, even though every ‘no’ comes with the fear of not getting booked again.
“I can handle it,” Firth grins. “I don’t want to disappoint my mum, so you say, ‘Could you put tape on my nipples?’ You should be allowed to request that, not just as a model but as a woman.” She cocks her head, feigning confrontation. And there she goes again: firecracker Ms Firth, taking on the world on her own terms.
