Daily Front Row

2008 March 11

Oh La Liya!

Comments | | Print

Liya Kebede with daughter Raee
View Gallery

(NEW YORK) Liya Kebede’s face may be more in tune with brands like Dolce & Gabanna, Tiffany’s, and Tom Ford, who discovered her during his Gucci tenure, but the Ethiopian supermodel is using her name and connections to give back to her homeland. On Monday night, Kebede was joined by husband Kassy, two-year-old daughter Raee, and eight-year-old son Suhul at the upscale children’s boutique Yoya for a fall preview of Lemlem, her new kid's clothing line made exclusively in Ethiopia. “It looks so good in the stores, and it’s fantastic,” Kebede, a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador, gushed. “We’re really proud. With Lemlem, we’re changing things in Ethiopia.”

Annabella Sciorra, Ivan Bart, Veronica Webb, Brooke Wall, and Samira Nasr were among those packed into the cozy West Village shop for a sneak peek at the wares, displayed alongside other luxe offerings for the bite-sized set from brands like David Netto and Marc Jacobs. “From the Queen of Sheba to now, the process hasn’t changed,” Kassy noted. For fall, Yoya has picked up Kebede’s line, which is currently available at Barneys, Scoop, and Calypso. “Raee has been my fit model, so all my samples are size two; I hope she hasn’t gotten tired of me already,” laughed Kebede, who recently created some women’s scarves and has her eye on expansion. “I want to build up my kid’s line and create a new movement in Ethiopia,” she added. “I want to expand quickly. I’ve even been asked to design for moms.”

One such mother was Mary-Louise Parker, who last September adopted a baby from Ethiopia named Caroline Aberash Parker. “Liya’s a good friend and I would support anything she does, and politically what she’s doing is important,” said the actress, who’s about to embark on season four of Weeds and who returned to Broadway last week after a four-year absence with Dead Man’s Cell Phone.

“My daughter’s a little older than Raee, so unfortunately the clothes she sent over were a little small,” Parker quipped. “But the clothes are so comfortable to the touch--like beautiful little blankets!”
JIM SHI