Girl on Fire: Norwegian model Ceval Omar is fashion's hottest property

On the rocky beaches outside her hometown of Oslo, we find the singular Ceval Omar. Captured by another Norwegian rising star – and her sister, figuratively speaking – Jacqueline Landvik, the model and activist wears figure-hugging frocks with cuts and nips, strings and stretch. Body not-so-conscious looks so blazing, they’ll scorch the earth. The industry is enamoured with Ceval, and while she cautiously accepts the call, she knows it still has a ways to go.

Ceval Omar is busy. Just hours after celebrating the 20th anniversary of Alexander McQueen in London, the Somali-Norwegian model hopped on the Eurostar to Paris, where she’s been invited to a Burberry soiree. The 26-year-old Oslo native is settling into yet another hotel room when I finally get her on the phone. “I’m exhausted,” she tells me.

“Things have been non-stop since Copenhagen Fashion Week in August. I’ve been travelling between Norway, Stockholm, London and Milan in the past few weeks.” It’s now mid-October and her schedule shows no signs of slowing down. “I just shot the biggest campaign of my life,” she reveals. “I can’t say much about it yet, but I worked with a major designer. It was a moment I never dreamt would happen.”

Ceval has had her fair share of such moments over the past few years. In 2018, she landed a fashion hat-trick when she was signed by three global modelling agencies in the space of just ten hours: Heartbreak in Oslo, Muse in New York, and Present in London. She has since added Women360 in Paris, German agency Mega and Uno Models in Barcelona and Madrid to that roster, cementing her track to international fashion acclaim. In 2020, she made history as the first Black trans curve model to appear in British Vogue (she later appeared in British Vogue’s ‘Hope’ themed issue too). She’s been swamped with gigs ever since. “It all happened so fast,” she says. “It felt like everything came at once and it was a little overwhelming.”

For Ceval, a career in fashion has never felt tangible. In fact, it has felt so far out of reach that she remains extremely cautious about the true intentions of the plethora of brands, designers and press now knocking on her door. “I’ve found it quite difficult to tell whether people are being genuine about their intentions behind using someone like me,” she says. “I’ve definitely been in situations in this industry where I haven’t felt 100 per cent protected because the people I am working with don’t necessarily have the right motives.”

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Her concerns are valid. In an era where performative activism for everything from anti-racism movements to LGBTQ+ rights has been rife, it’s only natural for Ceval – a strong advocate for both – to question the validity of the sudden embrace from an industry that once rejected her very existence, not only as a trans woman but a black, curve model.

At one of her very first professional shoots, Ceval was humiliated when she arrived on set to discover that, in addition to being the token black girl, she would be forced to wear a dress that had to be cut-open to fit her, secured with pins that stabbed her throughout the shoot. Intrusive and dehumanising moments like that are further proof of the pivotal changes that must be made to protect the safety of trans people, not only within the fashion industry but in society as a whole. These incidents fuel Ceval’s desire to excel as a model and activist. “I’m always going to be true to myself and what I believe,” she adds.

Related: How trans models are shaping the future of fashion

One thing she has struggled with, however, is navigating such a public-facing lifestyle. Though she has never hidden who she is, her life in Norway was relatively private. “I was thrust in to this industry with no warning and it can be such a weird and almost uncomfortable position to be in,” she admits. “It’s like all of a sudden people have a right to know about me and my life. It’s strange. Especially because I haven’t had anyone to show me the ropes or help me navigate this. I’ve had to do it all by myself.”

That being said, her love for fashion, the statement she is making by simply existing in these spaces, and the people she has met along the way, outweigh even the hardest of adjustments. “My favourite thing about working in this industry and doing Fashion Week in particular is meeting so many incredible people, a lot of whom have been Instagram friends for a while,” she says. “And of course, seeing all the beautiful shows and such wonderful pieces by incredible designers. I love it.”

For this photoshoot, Ceval was reunited with her sister (figuratively), rising Norwegian photographer Jacqueline Landvik, who also lensed many of the early shoots that led to the launch of Ceval’s modelling career. “I love Jacqueline,” says Ceval. “We met about five or six years ago at a party and just truly felt seen and understood by each other. We started hanging out and she would take these cool pictures of me and our friends just out having fun and we’d share them on social media. That’s when the fashion scouts discovered me and it all started.” Having the two of them work together for their second Vogue shoot feels like the stars aligning – a real full circle moment. “Doing this together has been so amazing,” adds Ceval. “It was so much fun and we had the best time, even though it was very cold because we shot it in Oslo.”

Ceval is among a new generation of models, designers and editors who are shaping the future of fashion, though their mission is far from complete. “The fashion industry has come a long way. I’m really excited about where it is headed and to be a part of that,” she says. However, the lack of diversity in runway shows has not gone unnoticed by her.

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Ceval is among a new generation of models, designers and editors who are shaping the future of fashion, though their mission is far from complete. “The fashion industry has come a long way. I’m really excited about where it is headed and to be a part of that,” she says. However, the lack of diversity in runway shows has not gone unnoticed by her. “Day by day I’m seeing more people that I identify with in major campaigns which is great but why are we never invited to model in runway shows? At Paris Fashion Week especially, I felt there was a real lack of curve models. The runway is where you first present your collection so if you’ve truly designed clothes that cater to curve women then we should be there representing that. If not, it just feels like we’re being used in adverts to bring in the money,” she continues.

“You’re also essentially telling us that you’re scared the clothes won’t look good on us as we walk on your runway.” This is something Ceval wants to see an imminent change in. As for her own future, she has her sights set on the fashion capital. “I’m really excited to be moving to Paris soon. I love the city and all the amazing friends I’ve been able to make, and I’m super excited to create more memories.” As busy as she is, Ceval is ready for more.