Flaviana Matata Bio
Flaviana Matata is a Tanzanian beauty queen and fashion model. She is one of the Top Seven lists of models that have recorded the highest income in Africa mentioned by 2013 Forbes Africa. In 2017 she was mentioned by okay.com as one of Top 100 Women in Africa
Flaviana Matata Age
Flaviana was born on June 9, 1987, in Shinyanga Tanzania. She is currently 32 years old as per 2019.
Flaviana Matata Parents
Flaviana Matata was born and raised in Shinyanga Tanzania. She mostly raised by her father after the death of her mother who died in the sinking of MV Bukoba during 1996.
Flaviana Matata Husband|Married
Tanzanian supermodel and beauty queen Flaviana Matata got married to Doe Massawe, a resident of Atlanta Georgia in a lavish ceremony in Tanzania on August 15, 2015. The Event Took Place at the St Joseph Church.
Matata, an internationally renowned supermodel, won the first edition of the Miss Universe Tanzania pageant in 2007 and went on to become the first Tanzanian to compete in the Miss Universe pageant the same year, where she was among the top 15 semifinalists.
Her success at the global beauty pageant, she landed in the US working for Wilhelmina, one of the most prominent modeling agencies.
Beyond modeling, Matata has a passion for philanthropy. Despite her short time in the US and on the fashion runway, Matata started then Flaviana Matata Foundation, an organization that helps empower young orphaned girls in Tanzania.
Flaviana Matata and her husband
She’s hosted an honorary event for her organization with friend, mentor, entrepreneur and hip-hop legend, Russell Simmons.
She donates stationery kits to underprivileged kids and still continues to look for ways to improve the quality of education in Tanzania.
Matata is currently signed by Wilhelmina Models and has modeled print advertisements for Sherri Hill.
Flaviana Matata Education|Early Life
She attended Kowak Girls Mission Secondary School for her secondary education, and then she did a diploma course in Electrical Engineering at Arusha Technical College before heading to Miss Universe Tanzania.
Flaviana Matata Modelling Career
Flaviana was discovered by Russell Simmons who helped her secure interviews with modeling agencies in the US. She then went on to sign with the international model agency – NEXT. She now works with The Lions NY, Next Europe (UK, Paris, and Milan), Wilhelmina Models US and Boss Models South Africa.
Flaviana is currently living and working in New York and has been listed as one of the top 10 Black Models in Essence Magazine and online magazine Models and Moguls.
Flaviana has worked with some of the most respected professionals in the fashion industry. Matata has also done some runway modeling for brands like Mustafa Hassanali, Vivienne Westwood, Tory Burch, Suno, Macy and Louise Gray. Tommy Hilfiger, Jason Wu, Rachel Roy, Charlotte Ronson, Charlotte Ronson, Holly Fulton, Sally LaPointe, Alice Ritter, Todd Lynn among others and has featured in the Alexander McQueen film tribute.
Matata is also part of the Diesel + EDUN campaign for Africa – an initiative by the two brands to benefit African cotton farmers. Flaviana is the only model from Africa in this campaign. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Diesel, Sherri Hill, Top Shop, Cool Cotton, Clarins, Aerie among others
Flaviana was featured in various prestigious magazines including Marie Claire, French Revue De Modes, Essence, Nylon magazine, Arise Magazine, FA Japan, the Hunger editorial, The Vision (magazine) – China, Grazia Italy and UK, Elle magazine, Schon magazine, she has also featured in the magazines Dazed & Confused, Glass Magazine, L’Officiel and i-D Magazine. Matata is currently signed by Wilhelmina Models.
Flaviana Matata Miss Universe 2007
Matata won the first edition of the Miss Universe Tanzania pageant in 2007 and went on to represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant the same year, where she was placed among the Top 15 semifinalists and ended up in 6th place after the evening gown competition.
She was the first contestant from Tanzania to compete at Miss Universe 2007, and compete with a shaved head.
Flaviana Matata Net Worth
Flaviana Matata’s net worth has been growing significantly in 2019. According to many Online resources, Flaviana Matata’s estimated net worth $1 Million – $10 Million (Approx.).
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Flaviana Matata Interview
“WE HAVE ONE LIFE TO LIVE, ONE VOICE. I TRY TO USE MINE IN EVERY WAY.”
“I remember wanting that job so much,” she says, reflecting on the casting that took her all the way to the final round. “Sometimes you want it so badly, but instead of being jealous or bitter, it’s okay to celebrate others.” (It didn’t hurt that the “other” in this case was fellow Tanzanian model and friend Herieth Paul.)
That instinct to celebrate other women—shown most recently by her presentation of the Banana Republic No Boundaries honor at ELLE’s fourth annual Impact Awards—lays bare a sense of self that she says was ironically shaped, in large part, by the men in her life.
Flaviana Matata
“My mother passed very early, and I was raised by a bold and proud Tanzanian man who instilled invaluable principles in me and my four siblings,” she says.
Among them: staying grounded, speaking up, and pushing past the boundaries she’d inevitably face as a black woman in the fashion industry.
“The foundation my father laid allowed me to never lose sight of who I was and it has kept me through every transition.”
Confidence breeds freedom, Matata attests, not as much with her words as with the resolve she exudes in talking about her career path to date.
“WHO I AM WILL NEVER CHANGE, AND MY PERSONAL STYLE IS AS DIVERSE AS MY EXPERIENCES.”
“I always believe that everything happens for a reason. They say that if something is for you, it will happen. I don’t have a [fairy] godfather or godmother, one of those agents in your everyday life that’s going to push you, so for me it’s been about figuring out how the industry works.”
Sometimes, that requires a lot of personal juggling; other times, it means looking to those who’ve charted a similar course for a guiding light. But mostly, it means being free and accepting what the universe is going to give you, Matata says.
“I know there are certain things that I can’t do, but you [can’t] be so uptight. Just explore and learn as you go.”
It isn’t surprising that Matata follows the same self-assured approach when it comes to her personal style.
“Who I am will never change, but my personal style is as diverse as my experiences,” she says. In other words, trends aren’t her thing. Rather, it’s a mix of style and substance focusing on clothing ready for the possibility of whatever’s to come.
“Whether I’m rocking high-waisted trousers, classic sundresses, or runway gowns, I use my clothes and style to live out loud, to just be who I am or who I feel like. At the end of the day, you have to feel good about what you’re wearing. I just don’t want to be limited.”
But being limit-averse places Matata in the crosshairs of a conundrum at times—and she admits that it isn’t always a comfortable place to be.
“I think that’s why I haven’t been to a place where people expect me to be because I don’t follow fashion policies.” It’s especially tough to stay grounded at “super high-fashion things,” she says. But then she remembers her dad’s advice.
“If I go somewhere where I feel I don’t belong or I’m not welcomed, I’ll do other things. I don’t believe in putting all of my eggs in one basket.”
Training her gaze on the next opportunity seems to be the impulse that keeps Matata going. But lately, it’s also the fifteen girls her foundation, The Flaviana Matata Foundation, is helping put through college.
“At the heart of the foundation is an opportunity,” she says. “Opportunity through education.”
With millions of girls all across the globe being denied access to education, FMF aims to offer the resources and supplies needed to put them through school. It’s a mission not far removed from Banana Republic’s P.A.C.E. initiative, the company’s commitment to assist and empower women making its clothing in developing countries.
“In Tanzania and Africa in general, there is a sense of community that is unmatched in any environment I’ve experienced. Because of that, I knew from the onset of my success that providing a platform and investing back into the community that raised me was a necessity. I’ve been supported to get to where I am. Who am I not to support others?”
“I KNEW INVESTING BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY THAT RAISED ME WAS A NECESSITY.”
Make no mistakes though: Altruism, for Matata, isn’t a trend moment either.
One of the most significant moments of her mission thus far was watching the first 15 girls supported by FMF graduate from secondary school last year.
the next opportunity insight, she says, “We’re looking forward to supporting these girls, to [helping them] graduate from college, get a great job, and be able to come back to the foundation, mentoring girls or volunteering their time.”
This month, she’s helping fellow “change makers and rule breakers” see their missions through, too, by presenting Banana Republic’s No Boundaries Award at ELLE’s Impact Awards.
“We’ve reached a point where we have to say, ‘If you have a seat at the table, you have to pull others up,” she says. “We have one life to live. We have one voice and I try to use mine in every way.”