DUBAI: Danish model Mona Tougaard turned 21 this week and the fashion industry turned out in force to celebrate the rising star by showcasing her runway career highlights on Instagram.
The model — who is of Turkish, Somali and Ethiopian descent — reposted several birthday wishes from her friends and colleagues in the industry on social media.
British Moroccan model Nora Attal took to Instagram Stories to share a photo of the duo in which Tougaard can be seen carrying Attal in her arms. Attal captioned the Story, “Happy birthday sister.”
French Algerian model Loli Bahia posted a cheeky video of an asleep Tougaard, captioning the birthday post, “Happy birthday sleeping beauty.”
Pieter Mulier, the creative director of fashion house Alaia, posted a behind-the-scenes video of Tougaard from a runway show, and simply wrote, “Happy Bday.”
For his part, fashion editor, stylist and creative consultant Carlos Nazario shared a photo from a British Vogue shoot and wrote, “Happy Birthday young legend @mona_tougaard . Magnificent Mona for @britishvogue by @alasdairmclellan and me,” adding a black heart emoji.
Tougaard also took to Instagram to post a carousel of images from her relaxed birthday celebrations, featuring fellow Danish models Rebecca Midjord Eriksen and Nina Marker.
Tougaard most recently featured in a high-profile campaign for the LV Archlight 2.0 collection from Louis Vuitton, which starred US rapper Jaden Smith, US actress Chloe Grace Moretz and Chinese footballer Sam Li Sirong.
A sculptured sneaker that was originally designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for the house’s Spring/Summer 2018 runway show has now proved inspiration for Vuitton‘s next chapter, giving a sporty take on the classic loafer.
Earlier this year, Tougaard — who was scouted at the age of 12 and has been modelling since she was 15 — also walked for high-end French label Mugler. The model posted a video from the runway show, captioning the post, “@mugleroffical this was truly incredible and so special. You guys embrace diversity and women in so many ways I’m extremely honored to be a part of this.”
Tougaard was also the face of fashion house Alberta Ferretti’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection.
In a 2020 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Tougaard opened up about being a multiracial model in the fashion industry. The modeling industry, she said, has yet to adequately represent multiracial faces like hers. “We’re going in the direction, but we’re still not there at all,” she said at the time.
