Onweagba grew up in the suburbs of Lagos, Nigeria, with her two brothers and sisters. She is the daughter of a civil servant father and mother who was a nurse.^[3]

Discovery edit

At seventeen, Onweagba was urged by a family friend to enter into the M-Net "Face of Africa" preliminary screening at the M-Net office in Victoria Island, Lagos in the year 1997.^[7] The agency groomed her to be one of Nigeria's entrants for the 1998 competition (now called the Nokia Face of Africa). This despite the fact that, growing up, she had maintained a relative ignorance towards fashion and modeling.^[8] With the support of her family and friends, she decided to compete in the inaugural edition of the Face of Africa in 1998. This was the first-ever continent-wide model competition, organized by the South African channel M-Net in collaboration with Elite Model Management.^{[citation needed]} She won the competition and moved to New York shortly after.^[9]

After moving to New York City, where she still lives, she began appearing in editorials for American and Italian Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Allure, Nylon and W. Oluchi has appeared on the covers of Italian Vogue, Elle, i-D, Pop, Untold, and Surface.

She has walked the runways for Gucci, Carolina Herrera, John Galliano, Missoni, Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Christian Dior, Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Jeremy Scott, Helmut Lang, Fendi, Anna Sui, Givenchy, Kenzo, Giorgio Armani, Céline, Nina Ricci, and Diane Von Furstenberg.

She has appeared in advertising campaigns for Gianfranco Ferré, Lancôme, Ann Taylor, Clinique, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Macy's, Banana Republic, Gap, Express, L'Oreal, Coca-Cola, as well as working for Victoria's Secret in print walking for six years in the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

She has worked with notable photographers such as Steven Meisel, Nick Knight, David LaChapelle, and Patrick Demaprchelier.

Beyond modeling, Onweagba tries to serve as a role model for other aspiring talents in Nigeria, especially young girls.^[10] She volunteers her time and her image for such NGOs as LEAP Africa (an entrepreneurship incubator) and NIPRO. She also is continuing her higher education, having studied for an associate degree in the New York City educational system.

After her three-year contract with Elite expired, Onweagba signed with DNA Model Management. She has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue three times.^[11]

In 2016, she was named the ambassador of Scent Of Africa together with Marcel Desailly.^[12]

In 2008, she launched a modeling agency in South Africa, OModel Africa, with offices in Johannesburg and recently in Cape Town. The 2008 winner of M-Net Face of Africa, Kate Tachie-Menson, was awarded a US$50,000 modeling contract by OModel Africa. She was made the host and head judge of Africa's Next Top Model in 2013.^[13]

Onweagba's first name comes from the Igbo language and means "God's Work".^[3]

In 2006, Onweagba married Italian fashion designer, and long time friend, Luca Orlandi. They have two sons and reside in New York. Their son Ugo Ugochukwu is signed to McLaren Racing^[14] and was the 2020 FIA European junior karting champion.

• Official website
• Oluchi Onweagba at IMDb
• Oluchi Onweagba at Fashion Model Directory  
• 2006 SI Swimsuit Issue gallery