2017 World Swimsuit Mauritius Team: The Models
Ana Cunya (WS Model Search Winner)
There is no doubting this fiery Brazilian’s popularity. Ana won the 2017 World Swimsuit Model Search with a record of over 50 000 votes. Born in the beautiful beach town of Fortaleza on the North East Coast of Brazil, she is passionate about learning and has been active in social and environmental issues that speak to her heart.
Instagram: @anacunya
Marciel Hopkins (Model Search Wild Card Winner)
She’s been on a roller-coaster journey and has an inspirational story to share. In 2015, the curvaceous beauty dropped 14kg in four months for the Miss South Africa competition. However, she is determined not to be pigeon-holed and the 23-year-old made it her mission to spread a message of self-love and body positivity to other young women. Two years later Marciel, is back to her normal weight, and she couldn’t be happier about it.
Instagram: @marcielhopkins
Nicola Du Plessis (Model Search Runner-Up Winner)
The face of Caribbean Tan, a brand which recently held their own Model Search competition where Nicola was chosen as the winner, is going places. One of two runners-up in the World Swimsuit Model Search, the 21-year-old from Durbanville dreams of becoming a professional model. If not on the beach, you can find this blonde beauty getting rough and tough in the outdoors. While studying fashion and retail management part-time, she’s looking to further her modelling career abroad.
Instagram: @angeltila
Sherica Small (Model Search Runner-Up Winner)
Since the year dot she has been active in sports. Basketball, track and field, soccer, gymnastics, karate, and more recently Salsa dancing, where she’s part of an amateur pro team, Sherica loves to be active. She also has a cultural side and enjoys researching different civilisations and languages; she speaks Spanish and French. Her favourite place is the beach, which is the perfect fit for World Swimsuit.
Instagram: @shericasmall
Demi-Leigh Nel (Miss South Africa)
You’ll know her as Miss South Africa 2017, who is representing the country at Miss Universe. The Sedgefield model and beauty pageant previously won Miss Varsity Cup 2015 and was a Top Five finalist in Miss Teen SA in 2010. Demi is a B. Com Business Management and Entrepreneurship graduate.
Instagram: @demileighnp
Nicole Meyer
Since the age of five, Nicole has dreamed of being a model and after being spotted by a talent scout at 18, she left school and life in the small town of Wellington and has been blazing her way to the top ever since. She has worked with some big names including on the Police Sunglasses campaign with Brazilian football superstar Neymar, and Yamamay, one of Europe’s biggest swimwear and lingerie brands, as well as the Wonderbra campaign in Canada.
Instagram: @nicolemeyer1
Tamara Francesconi
A glance at her Instagram and you see that she loves to travel. From Croatia and Spain to England and France, Tamara is serious about her passion for exploring the globe. She grew up in Durban and spent her life on the beach. She is the current face of Wonderbra SA and International face for jewelery brand, House of ZS. Tamara has worked with world renowned photographers, Justin Dallas and Vaughan Treyvellan.
Instagram: @tamfrancesconi
Kara Del Toro
The 25-year-old American, who has a vibrant social media presence, partially rose to fame thanks to her Instagram account with more than 495k followers. And she has no qualms about showcasing her talents. Born in a small town in Texas between Houston and Galveston Bay, Kara now lives in Los Angeles. She has worked for several brands, including GUESS. With a love for animals, she adopted a small rescue dog. The model encourages others to do the same and is a big supporter of DogsWithoutBorders.org.
Instagram: @karajewelll
Danika Pienaar
You’ll find talent in the most unlikely places and Danika was scouted at the age of 15 whilst playing a netball match. Now 17, she has the face and personality of an angel and the body of a true beach babe. While she’s finishing her final year in school and modeling in her home town Cape Town, she’s dreaming of new travel plans and a career in fashion. She won’t be short of offers.
Instagram: @danikapienaar
Adeola Ariyo
Adeola was still only 13 when scouted by an agency in London and had little idea about modelling. She modelled for two and a half years, but then had to give it up after her family relocated to Nigeria. Fortunately, her career kicked off again when she resumed modelling after finishing high school and entered the Face of Africa competition in 2005. She is currently an ambassador for iconic brand, Elizabeth Arden.
Instagram: @adeolaariyo
Candice van der Merwe
This Capetonian was also featured in World Swimsuit 2016 where the team headed to Borneo for the shoot. She has worked with powerhouse brand, FHM, for both South Africa and Germany. Nothing pleases her more than travelling the world and meeting new people while expanding her work portfolio. She has a great love for interior design and if she wasn’t a model, she would go into that line of work.
Instagram: @jean.candice
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