Former beauty queen turned model Mariel de Leon walked her first fashion show in New York City with Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, Skims.
The Binibining Pilipinas International 2017 took to Instagram to share photos from her New York Fashion Week milestone.
“I still can’t get over the fact that I walked for @skims @kimkardashian for my first fashion show in NYC!”
Mariel continued on to share that out of 1,000 models, she was one of the girls chosen to be part of the show.
“In the past few years, I went through a lot of online bullying and body shaming… But I’m glad that what was perceived as something negative about me to many people was the very thing that got me here.”
She added how amazing it was to watch the fashion industry evolve into a “more inclusive and diverse one.”
“The women who stand up for inclusivity, diversity, strength and self-love inspire me to love myself unconditionally and to be okay with the body I have,” she ended.
In another post, she shared how this success is a reminder for herself to keep going no matter what.
Mariel is currently based in New York City where she is signed with TRUE Model Management.
