Flaviana Matata: A Day in the Life of a Runway Model at Fashion Week (The Wall Street Journal)

The fashion shows of New York, London, Milan and Paris can last a mere 15 minutes or less, but the young men and women who walk them have a long a grueling schedule. Many models come from an increasingly international (and Asian) background, and go through an intensive casting process. Reporter Neal Mann followed Tanzanian model Flaviana Matata on Monday during London Fashion Week to find out what it’s like.

As my phone pings while I’m traveling to meet her on an east London industrial estate it’s clear that model Flaviana Matata likes Twitter.

“I’m a Twitter addict,” she confesses. “My parents have to hide my phone when I go home to see them.” When I meet her, the Tanzanian model is heading to her umpteenth casting of London Fashion Week. She can’t remember how many she has been to but says the most she has done in one day is eight.

Models are called to castings for shows. If they are the fit for what the designer is looking for, they are then called back for a fitting and finally the show. The hectic schedule clearly takes its toll. “It is seriously tiring,” says Matata. “After Fashion week you need a break, a fashion detox.”

Flaviana Matata doesn’t fit most people’s stereotypes of a model. The former Miss Universe finalist from the Tanzanian town of Shinyanga says she never had dreams of being on the catwalk. “I wanted to do electrical engineering,” she admits. “I loved science.” The daughter of a doctor and civil servant, Matata only entered Miss Universe after being convinced by friends. It was only after making the final of the competition, at a charity event in New York, that she was scouted to become a model.

This year is Matata’s third season at London Fashion Week. She believes that most people don’t understand how much hard work goes in to a show, many of which last less that 15 minutes.

Matata has been called to appear in designer Mark Fast’s London Fashion Week show. She has to arrive a couple of hours before the show for hair and make up. It’s clear from the moment the model sits in the makeup artist’s chair how she is going to pass the time—on her phone.

While the makeup artist and hairstylists go to work, Matata passes the time tweeting and messaging with friends and fellow models. She admits that she sometimes likes to say what she thinks, but is acutely aware of her social-media profile and always thinks twice before publishing something to her 32,000 Twitter followers.

The Tanzanian model is well aware of the importance of her image on social media and her personal brand. “You can’t tell what is in store for you,” she says. “You might be doing well this season, but next season may be very different.”

Following the death of her mother in a boating accident, Matata decided to start her own charity in Tanzania to put girls through education. She says that through her personal funding and that of friends, the charity is currently putting 15 girls through school. Matata says she wants to give something back to her home country and recognizes that she needs to make the most of her career. “It has a limit,” she says. “You can’t do it forever.”