Leomie Anderson’s career spans the catwalk, television and a business of her own. A London-born model, she has walked for major international labels, appeared in four consecutive Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows and become the first British Black model to be named a Victoria’s Secret Angel. Alongside that work, she has used her public profile to discuss the treatment of Black models and developed LAPP, a platform and clothing brand centred on women’s mental health, rights and body consciousness.
A London start and an early breakthrough
Anderson was born in London in 1993 and is of Jamaican heritage. She was scouted at 14. At first, she wanted to work in fashion journalism; modelling offered a different route into the industry. At 17, she was booked for her first catwalk show by Marc Jacobs, an early professional opportunity that took her to New York Fashion Week. The original account describes her as scouted at 17, but the fuller career chronology distinguishes the two events: she was discovered at 14 and booked for the show at 17.
Her work soon extended well beyond that first runway. Anderson has walked for designers and labels including Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Chloé, Fenty Puma, Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Jeremy Scott, Temperley, Vivienne Westwood and Yeezy. The range matters: her career has not been confined to one house or aesthetic, but has moved across established fashion brands and newer labels.
In 2011, she appeared on Channel 4’s The Model Agency. The television appearance offered a view of the modelling business beyond the finished images and catwalk shows, while her own work continued to grow. In 2017, she became one of the faces of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna’s make-up brand, at its launch. Her campaign work has also included Pat McGrath’s make-up line, Uniqlo, Topshop and Jones New York.
Victoria’s Secret and a visible milestone
Anderson was selected for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2015, following three castings. She walked in the show for four consecutive years, from 2015 to 2018. In April 2019, she became a Victoria’s Secret Angel. The distinction was reported as significant: she was the sixth Black model and the first British Black model to receive the title.
That milestone sits within a career shaped by both visibility and the conditions behind it. Anderson has spoken about racial discrimination in modelling and about practical problems faced by models of colour, including a lack of make-up artists equipped to work with darker skin tones. Her criticism directs attention to the everyday infrastructure of fashion as well as its public image: representation on a runway is one measure, while suitable professional support is another.
Her comments have helped bring those issues into discussion, but her work on representation is not limited to speaking about shortcomings. She has also developed projects in which women’s experiences and concerns are the subject. In 2017, she received Yahoo’s Diversity in Beauty Awards’ Model Activist award. In 2020, Forbes included her in its 30 Under 30 list for art and culture.
LAPP: a platform as well as a label
In 2016, Anderson created LAPP, short for Leomie Anderson, the Project, the Purpose. It began as a blog and later became LAPP Magazine, offering insight into women’s mental health, rights and body consciousness. The stated purpose was to promote female empowerment by making room for discussion of issues affecting women. The initial account also describes the platform as addressing subjects including body positivity, sexual health and mental wellbeing.
That editorial project was accompanied by a business. Anderson founded LAPP The Brand, which launched in September 2016. Its women’s athletic garments were designed to work both as activewear and as fashion. The label therefore gave the wider LAPP project a material dimension: alongside articles and discussion, it offered clothing made for women’s everyday use.
The combination makes LAPP more than a fashion line. Its blog and magazine address rights, mental health and body image; its clothing business operates in the same broad space as Anderson’s modelling career. The original account presents each garment sale as supporting her mission, but the more securely described point is the structure of the venture itself: a platform for women’s issues and a clothing brand were developed under the same name.
Beyond the runway
Anderson has extended her public work into speaking and broadcasting. She has given two TEDx Talks and spoken at Oxford and Cambridge universities. In April 2021, she launched the podcast Role Model with Leomie Anderson, produced by Somethin’ Else and Sony Music. Its stated aim was to speak with international public figures described as breaking boundaries and shaping culture.
Television has remained another part of her career. She was a guest judge on the fourth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2022, and appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2023. That year she became a co-host of the BBC series Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, replacing Maya Jama. In 2025, she appeared in the first series of Celebrity Bear Hunt; she also competed on series five of The Weakest Link. These appearances add presenting and entertainment work to a career that began in modelling, rather than marking a departure from it.
Her public profile has included fashion recognition as well as these different forms of media work. Models.com ranked her as a “Money Girl”, and she appeared on a “World’s Beautiful Women” list curated by What’s Good?. Such lists are secondary markers of visibility; the more substantial outline of her career lies in its combination of campaigns, runway work, business, advocacy and broadcasting.
Why Leomie Anderson deserves a place in British Legacy
Leomie Anderson’s place in British Legacy rests on a career that connects British fashion to international stages without reducing her contribution to visibility alone. Born in London, she has built a modelling career across major brands and global shows, then reached a notable milestone as the first British Black Victoria’s Secret Angel. Her work makes a specific part of British fashion history visible: the increasing presence of a Black British model in a prominent international role. The importance of that achievement is sharpened by her willingness to discuss the conditions Black models encounter, including the shortage of make-up artists able to work confidently with darker skin tones.
She has also turned some of those concerns into sustained projects. Through LAPP’s blog and magazine, she has addressed women’s mental health, rights and body consciousness; through LAPP The Brand, she has developed clothing intended for both fashion and active use. Her TEDx talks, university appearances and podcast have given her further ways to take those conversations beyond modelling. Television presenting and entertainment work broaden the audience for her public career. Taken together, these achievements show a British model building influence across fashion, business and media while using her platform to raise questions about representation and women’s experiences.
Sources
Adapted in part from Leomie Anderson by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been edited and combined with the existing article; this adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.
