The new face of Paris couture

Anmari Botha on the catwalk for Giambattista Valli in Paris.

Anmari Botha at the Christophe Josse show in Paris.

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She has barely six months of modelling under her belt, but Kiwi Anmari Botha is already making waves in the international fashion world.

Discovered by Red Eleven general manager Peter Langford-Read at the age of 12, Botha didn't actually start working as a model until last year.

"She looked like a new born giraffe on roller skates" says Red Eleven director Amanda Betts of the 12-year old Botha.

 "[Peter] spotted her horse riding. She was painfully shy, but he really believed in her."

One of her first jobs was at last year's New Zealand Fashion Week, where she was picked out by top Kiwi stylists Karen Inderbitzen-Waller and Dan Ahwa. They later used Botha in several fashion photo shoots.

Botha has only been in Paris two weeks, but has already been booked for the haute couture shows, including Giambattista Valli, Christophe Josse, and the prestigious two-day Givenchy presentation.
 
Supported by Red Eleven and international manager Michael Hooker of MHI, Botha is now represented by IMG Worldwide and is expected to begin "the circuit".

That will see her travel to Paris, Milan, New York and London following each city's fashion week.

If she does well, a small stint in modelling could set Botha up for life. "She has the potential to earn a huge amount of money over there. The sky is the limit" says Betts.
 
"It's so overwhelming and exciting to see a girl you've worked so hard on for years do so well. It's so great because she's a girl we've started right from scratch. We've built her from pretty much zero to this in seven months. It's phenomenal" says Betts.

Betts admits that she and her team feel like a mother hen with Botha.

"She goes overseas and lands this straight off the bat, straight after finishing school. All the hard work, coaching and tears have paid off. And believe me, there have been tears. But it's worth it, she is realising her dream."

At 5'11", Botha's height is helping her snag her couture jobs. Haute couture designs are very intricate and elaborate, styles that often only the most imposing models can pull off.

Botha joins other New Zealand models Caitlin Lomax, Lili Sumner, Zoe Dunstan, Sakura, Ella Drake, and Emma Chantaloup on the international circuit.

- © Fairfax NZ News