Laila Ezzat is the beauty you see in many of the top fashion and lifestyle campaigns and shoots. You cannot miss her with her defining bluish-green eyes staring right into you. At only nineteen years of age she has more to say about the real world than most college students can. Upon completing high school, she randomly stumbled across a career in modeling – and a quite successful one, we might add. Not affiliated with a particular modeling agency, Laila is her own manager. We speak to the young boss-lady about her modeling career and more…
photoshoot with Dima Jewellery
How did you come to pursue your modeling career?
It happened so randomly. Someone randomly asked me in my direct messages on Instagram if I would model for them and my friends suggested I make my account public and see what happens. My first shoot was with Cords Jewellery and it just took off from there. I don’t plan on hiring a modeling agency. I’d rather do it myself. I thought, “Why not model? It’s fun to do a shoot every once in a while, and I’d have nice photos.”
Are there any challenges you face as a young model in Egypt?
I’m not taking it too seriously, to be honest, so I don’t feel challenged. It’s more of a hobby for me. When I get invited to a shoot, I decide if it’s something I want or not, and accordingly I will either do it or brush it off, but the job itself is not as easy as it looks. It’s long hours, so it can be very time-consuming and exhausting. I’m okay with doing the hard work, though, because when I like something, it doesn’t strain me.
photoshoot with Mademoiselle
What are your criteria for choosing your clients?
I have to like the outfits they’re going to dress me in. I don’t want to wear something too tacky, for example. So, I look at that and if the clothes are too revealing, I wouldn’t do the shoot, either. I also look at the photographer and the makeup artist because at the end of the day, I want good photos that I would be proud of. I want them somehow to express my personal style. I don’t want to look at the photos from a shoot later and think, “What did I do?”
photoshoot with Halo Headpieces
Which shoots are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my shoots with Dima Jewellery, Enigma, and Halo Headpieces.
How did your collaboration with Dima come about?
The marketing representative from Dima contacted me and she told me to come to their office, so they can meet me and decide if I’m a good fit for their shoot. I met them in Zamalek, we talked, and they had their photographer there. He took a few photos of me with his phones and we tried on different jewelry to see if it looks good on me. After that, they called me back and told me, “We really like you. Come to our shoot.” It was really nice. I love the pictures. This shoot was definitely one of my favorites.
photoshoot with Dima Jewellery’s Dreams of Gold
Do you have any international models you look up to?
I look up to a lot of models, namely Taylor Hill, Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne – I love her personality.
Where do you see yourself in a few years?
I’m literally going with the flow. I took a gap year after high school to figure out what I want to do. I haven’t figured it out yet but that’s okay because I’m only nineteen. For some reason, everyone around you wants to pressure you at this time to ultimately decide what to do with your life, but I don’t succumb to that pressure. I will know when I know. I want try as many things as possible before I decide to commit to a major for at least four years and end up hating it. I’m enjoying the freelancing lifestyle right now.
I don’t really set goals to work with a certain brand, either. Obviously, some brands would stand out to me and I’d want to model for them, but I don’t actually pursue them. They contact me spontaneously. If they don’t come to me, I don’t feel loss anyway.
photoshoot with Sharif’s Makeup
Any hidden talents?
I kind of draw sometimes, and my mother thinks I can sing but my friends disagree.
By Sarah Guirguis
