When Evelyn Effrim-Botchey appeared on Selasi’s autumn/winter 2026 runway, a stillness fell over the room. Not just because of her preternatural poise and exquisite bone structure, but because, at 58, she was some 40 years older than most of the models on the London Fashion Week circuit. In an industry devoted to fetishising youth – and a culture mediated through images in which every visible sign of ageing is filled in or filtered out – this mystery model, her salt-and-pepper slick-back revealing a constellation of lines, was a revelation. As soon as the show finished, I sought out casting director Troy Fearn backstage and asked to be introduced. We filmed an interview on the street while she waited for a car to her next show. The video soon amassed a million views on Instagram – proof, perhaps, of just how rare a sight Effrim-Botchey was, and how much appetite there is for more.
It was only her second turn on the catwalk in 30 years, and in the seasons since, Effrim-Botchey has walked for Willy Chavarria, Stella McCartney, Moschino, Balenciaga – twice – and Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, even fronting the latter’s latest bridal campaign. She is now at the forefront of a growing cohort of what the industry calls “generational” models: women who bring to the runway qualities that can only be acquired with age – self-possession, worldliness, authority – imparting an aura to the clothes, which somehow appear more expensive, more luxurious for all the life beneath them. Another fleeting dalliance with representation? Not if Effrim-Botchey has anything to do with it. “You can’t undo this,” she says. “I won’t let that happen. My message is that it’s possible to start over at 50, that you can still chase your dreams, and while it takes courage, and stepping out of your comfort zone, let me tell you, it makes you feel so alive when they become a reality.”
Get to know the model of the moment in the conversation below.
Hi Evelyn, have you always been interested in fashion?
“I grew up in Lewisham, the birthplace of Lee McQueen, and I’ve always been an instinctive dresser. As much as I might follow fashion, I kind of say, ‘Okay, well, that’s how they like it… Here’s my take.’ If I put a shirt on, I’m probably buttoning it up in a different way to others. I’ve always chosen clothes that resonate with my character. I like to find things that no one else has, and I wear them for a long time, so I end up having a relationship with them. I still treasure a Giorgio Armani coat I bought when I was 20. It’s travelled with me through life, and I feel like, when I wear it, I’m wearing my past and future. It makes me feel cosy inside.”
Selasi autumn/winter 2026.
GoRunway.comHow did you first get into modelling?
“It was the 1980s, and I was 19, heading to the Levi’s store at the far end of King’s Road with my friends. We were all in ripped denim, laughing our heads off about something, and on the other side of the road was a group of fashion people, one of whom came running over to me, like, ‘Are you a model?!’ It was strange because, even though lots of people had told me I should be a model, I’d never taken it seriously. I’d only signed with Ziggi Golding a couple of days earlier. The man told me to tell Ziggi that Mario Testino would be coming in to see me for a job. I was cast and flew to Amsterdam to shoot with him not long afterwards.”
And how long did that first stint last for?
“I was modelling, mostly for smaller brands, until I was 28, doing runways, shoots, showrooms… all the normal things. In 1990, I was part of the opening ceremony of the World Cup, working with Valentino, Gianfranco Ferré and Missoni, which was brilliant, because my aunties in Ghana and Ireland (my mum was Irish, dad Ghanaian) could see me at the same time. I started thinking about quitting when I was 25 because I felt too old. Back in the day, they only wanted models aged 24 and under, and that wasn’t a nice feeling, so I moved on.”
Balenciaga Haute Couture autumn/winter 2026.
GoRunway.comWhat did you do in between then and now?
“I went to Italy for a job for a couple of days, met a man and ended up never coming back. We lived in the countryside just outside Milan, though we eventually split up, at which point I was like, ‘Now what am I going to do?’ I ended up moving to Milan for 12 years, then returned to the countryside, where I raised my daughter, who’s just started a bachelor’s degree in economics in Turin. During that time, I left the fashion business and worked for companies that organised hair shows, styling models and dabbling in backstage production.”
Did you ever miss modelling?
“Never. That chapter had closed, and I was busy with life. I thought it was done and dusted.”
But it wasn’t.
“About six years ago, in my early 50s, I decided I might start embracing my natural hair colour. I just felt like I was being disingenuous by constantly dyeing it, and though it took years for me to commit, because I didn’t get great feedback from my friends at the time – like, ‘Oh…? Really?’ – I’m so glad I followed through. It makes me feel so much more true to myself. At 57, I stopped dyeing it, and though I hated seeing the greys spike through at first, I soon started to see them as a ‘silver tiara’. I started to love this person who was coming through. Like, ‘Oooh, who is she?’ I felt empowered, renewed, and started making a moodboard with screenshots and magazine cut-outs of all the brands I’d like to work with.”
Willy Chavarria spring/summer 2027.
GoRunway.comAnd were you rediscovered?
“I asked to have a coffee with Lucia, an agent at First, who I’d known over email for a couple of years. She was like, ‘Oh my God, I really want to represent you…’ To which I replied, ‘Okay, but I don’t want to come back as an older woman with nothing to say. I want to do runways, I want to do editorials, I want to give it my all.’ Because there’s not enough space for older women out there, and my message is that you can start over at 50, that it’s okay to feel beautiful at a certain age. That while you might be older than you were, you’re not ‘old’.”
Your first runway back was for Natasha Zinko’s autumn/winter 2026 presentation at London Fashion Week, and then along came Selasi, Labrum and Emilia Wickstead. Did you take to the catwalk like a duck to water?
“My legs were shaking so much during that first runway back that I wondered whether they would be able to support me. But, truly, it was difficult to believe that so many years had passed. I felt like I was home. It was as if I was walking on air. So much so that when I was back home, power-walking around the lakes near where I live, I asked my agent if I could walk the men’s shows. Then I had a message saying Willy Chavarria requested me, which blew me away because his women were all over my moodboard. I felt so proud to have manifested that. You can still chase your dreams at 50, and while it takes courage, and stepping out of your comfort zone, it makes you feel so alive when they become a reality.”
Balenciaga autumn/winter 2026.
GoRunway.comThere was also a Balenciaga exclusive. What was the casting process like?
“I remember walking up and down in a pair of borrowed heels, because the ones I brought were too short, when Pierpaolo Piccioli stopped me and uttered, ‘Who are you?’ As if to say, ‘How come I’ve never seen you around before?’ While the stylist Joe McKenna was fixing me, I explained that I was making my return after 30 years, and he just went, ‘You’re not nervous, are you?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m loving it!’ Because I am. I go in loving every minute of this second chance. And it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t pushed myself. The thing is, I know brands are booking me because I’m an over-50 model, so I’m going to turn up as an over-50 model. I’m not going to be ‘perfect’. I’m going to have lines, I’m going to have a stomach because I was privileged enough to give life, and I’m going to be proud of all that.”
Lots of other models have followed your lead.
“There have been loads. I actually met a model at the Lacoste show who came up to me as I was leaving to say that I had inspired her to make a return to fashion. That gives me strength. As much as I don’t know all the people following me, I feel like they’re connecting with me. I feel it in my belly button, almost, the energy I’m giving out and that they’re receiving. There’s a lot of solidarity among the mature models. We always share a nod when we see each other backstage. But it’s the younger models, too, who I have a lovely energy with. I remember after Balenciaga, all these tall guys came up to me and said, ‘We think you’re awesome. You’ve got to tell us how you got here.’ And they listened to me like an aunty telling the kids a story. You could see them imagining their own mums on the runway.”
Moschino spring/summer 2027.
GoRunway.comHow has the fashion industry changed since you first started modelling?
“It’s faster. There’s a quicker turnover of creative directors than once upon a time, when designers worked until retirement age. They’re now like football managers. If you don’t make the sales, you’re out. And no one sits on the Tube flicking through magazines anymore, which is a shame because we’re missing out on so much curiosity, like, ‘What’s on the next page?’ The good thing, though, is that there’s more diversity now. When I started in the 1980s, there was a certain type of model – in terms of measurements, hair texture, age, gender and ethnicity – that was favoured, and it’s nice to see a lot more variety. I really hope this isn’t going to be a passing fad. And I don’t think it will be, actually. You can’t undo this stuff. The 50-something models aren’t going to let it happen, and neither are the curvies.”
How has being back in fashion changed your life more broadly?
“The past 12 months have been full of change. My daughter moved out, and while I’m still living in the Italian countryside, I’m able to do so much more than I was a couple of years ago. I come and go as I please without feeling guilty, because she’s having the time of her life.”
Stella McCartney spring/summer 2027.
GoRunway.comThis past season was your busiest yet, with shows for Antonio Marras, Sportmax, Moschino, Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, Lacoste and Situationist. How do you navigate the demands of fashion month?
“I think my oxygen levels are different to other people’s. I’m not tired in the least. I don’t feel the weight of the travelling, of the hustle and bustle, because it’s fun. My tip would be: enjoy what you do, find the positives. When I go into yet another hotel room, I’m like, ‘Great. I don’t have to cook and I don’t have to make my bed.’ And I absolutely adore being on the runway.”
Is there anything you’d like to do next that no one has thought to ask you yet?
“The cover of .”
Situationist spring/summer 2027.
GoRunway.comLet me see what I can do.
“I shoot for the stars. I’d love to work with Chanel, Dior and McQueen, because he was a Lewisham boy. And I hope she’s reading this, but Phoebe Philo, too, because I love the women she represents, and her work was all over my moodboard when I was rediscovering who I was. She is so me, and I am so her. It’s one step at a time, and I mean, that’s what I do as a job, right? Walking. In life, it’s the same thing. I just put one step in front of the other.”
How has your daughter responded to all this?
“She’s like, ‘Diva!’ and does that little finger thing that her generation does. She’s very proud, and what can I say? I can’t get much luckier than that. The fact that we’re both beginning a new chapter, and she’s away from home, means her hugs are tighter, and she looks at me like, ‘You’re doing it…’ She told me, ‘Mum, you don’t realise what you’re doing, how much you’re giving to people out there. Don’t worry about me, I’m good. Just go for it!’ So I am.”
Lacoste spring/summer 2027.
GoRunway.com