Refilwe Modiselle (born 2 January 1985) is a South African model and entertainer born in Rockville,

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

, and the country's first professional fashion model with

albinism Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos. Varied use and interpretation of ...

. She started her modelling career at the age of 13 when she was approached by ''Y!'' magazine. She also appeared as a

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

model in 2005 for South African designer David Tlale, making her the first albinistic model to appear on a

in South Africa. Modiselle has also had some experience in the music industry, where she performed as a backing vocalist for South African singer Keabetswe "KB" Motsilanyane while in school. She was nominated to the '' Oprah Magazine'' 2013 "Power List", and began an acting career. She uses the nickname "Vanillablaq" in

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Early life and education

Modiselle was born in Rockville, Soweto (in

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

, South Africa) where she lived with her mother and father until she was 4 years old, after which her family moved to Orange Grove, Johannesburg. Her family relocated again following the death of her father when she was a girl. She has two younger sisters Bontle and Candice Modiselle who are also in the industry. In high school she was a hard working learner, but other learners would tease and bully her and that led her to focus on her future.

After high school

Following her graduation from high school in Johannesburg, Modiselle studied advertising at Varsity College, graduating with distinction in her course. Throughout her work life Modiselle has accepted modelling work – including modelling for David Tlale at South Africa Fashion Week in 2005. She has also featured in a number of South African print magazines.

Career

Alongside Soweto-born model Tshegofatso Seakgoe, Modiselle was approached by advertising agency Black River FC in 2012 to be the face of female fashion retailer LEGiT’s summer fashion campaign. The campaign formed part of the retailer’s rebranding, and Modiselle was officially named the retailer’s "brand ambassador" at a launch event in Kyalami, Johannesburg, leading to print and online campaigns, as well as a video advertisement aired on South African television. She followed in a line of LEGiT brand ambassadors including TV presenter and actress Minnie Dlamini, TV presenter Bonang Matheba, model Noni Gasa, actress and model Zizo Beda, and radio and TV personality Sade Giliberti.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Modiselle, Refilwe 1986 births Living people South African female models People from Soweto People with albinism