A Nigerian lady, Ololade Ayelabola has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest catwalk by a model.
Ololade who staged a fashion show in Lagos last October walked the longest distance on a catwalk by a model with a staggering total of 125.11 km (77.74 mi).
But the 26-year-old wasn’t alone up there
She was joined by an array of beautiful models that represented all different types of people, including those with albinism or vitiligo, those who had tribal marks, and plus size models.
The Unilag graduate took over this title from Robert Brown and Lorraine McCourt, who were previous holders of the Guinness record.
It took Ololade five days to at the University of Lagos Indoor Sports Centre, to complete 2,058 laps at the sports centre, surpassing the 120 km she initially set out to walk.
In an interview with BBC, the enthusiastic model said she spent about 80 million naira to prepare for the task.
Speaking about the motivation behind her feat, Ololade revealed that she was once told she wasn’t tall enough after auditioning to take part in a Lagos Fashion Week event. That made her to creat a her own fashion where she aimed to inspire who has faced rejection in the industry.
she said, “While at an audition, the judges said, ‘Oh you walk well, but you are not tall enough’ and that broke my heart. I went home and started thinking about all the models who’d been told no because they aren’t tall enough or have a skin condition, even though they were talented, and how those people would face stereotypes and barriers in different areas of their life. So, I decided to create a stage, a runway, where people could showcase their talents.”
The model narrated he pains she passed through while achieving the feat. It got to a point her legs were bandages due to bruises but she didn’t give up her quest
Ololade revealed that her strength came from her determination to break stereotype and encourage others.
“For every step I took on the catwalk, I was taking a walk against stereotypes and challenges we face in the model and fashion industry. This is to tell everyone that your dream is valid and to all dreamers, chasers, risk takers out there, go break some record.”
She also stated that the massive support she received from people kept her going.
Ololade didn’t just win alone, she had an inclusivity show where models of all kinds including those with albinism or vitiligo,tribal marks, and plus size individuals showcased themselves
