The Fiercest of Them All: The Ebony Beauties Face-Off

"[It's like] there's only room," quips Conor Kennedy, a booker at Elite Model Management, "for one very successful black model at a time."

An erudition for the uninitiated: Naomi Campbell, of course, was the trailblazer of the revolution. A few years later, Tyra Banks, with her festive catwalk, took over fierce-dom. Liya Kebede (my all-time favorite), for the meantime, is savoring her reign as the current paragon.

As fashion is fleeting, so is the ebony muse. Just when I thought all the ebony beauties in the modelling scene have been written off, Chanel, Jourdan and Arlenis are quick to redeem the legacy. Gosh, three equally catwalk divas in their own right! But, methinks three is quite a crowd on the runway and only the fiercest shall rightfully bring home the bacon. Take your pick!




CHANEL IMAN

Age: 19

Nationality: American

Trademark: Nose

A-ha Moment: Discovered after winning runner up in the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest in 2006

Claim(s) to Fame: Advertising campaigns for Bottega Veneta, GAP, Victoria's Secret Pink, and United Colors of Benetton

Vogue cover appearance in May 2007 alongside with 9 new crop of supermodels

MTV's House of Style correspondent gig with Bar Rafaeli





JOURDAN DUNN

Age: 18

Nationality: British

Trademark: Legs

A-ha Moment: Discovered while shopping with a friend at Primark at the young age of 16

Claim to Fame: Best Model of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Show Awards





ARLENIS SOSA

Age: 19

Nationality: Dominican

Trademark: Lips

A-ha Moment: Discovered while she was walking with her family

Claim to Fame: Lancome endorsement deal



VERDICT: And the fiercest of them all? Easily, Chanel Iman. Jourdan may be the most facially gorgeous but Chanel's vivacity is just too hard to resist. She's like Tyra Banks meets Liya Kebede - ebullient and coquettish yet subtle and restrained. Though the most novice among the trio, give Arlenis a year or two to come out of her shell and she'll give Chanel a run for her money. It goes without saying then that if this is a Thakoon Spring collection show, the pecking order of the finale should look like this: Chanel walks first followed by Jourdan and then by Arlenis.