Today, I want to share the story of Iman Eldeeb. An Egyptian woman moved to Milan at 18 to pursue a modelling career. But along the way, she realised just how challenging — and self-doubting — the industry can be, especially for Middle Eastern women. So, one day, she simply decided to change that. I say “simply,” but of course, it wasn’t that easy.

So in 2018, Iman went on to found UNN Model Management. Her mission? To challenge outdated stereotypes, reveal the personalities behind the faces, and open global opportunities for talent from the region. Now, more than 7 years into running her agency, she is not just building a business — she is leading a movement rooted in visibility, representation, and redefining beauty on her own terms. Read her story below.

— You were born and raised in Egypt. Tell me more about your childhood and your warmest memories from that time.

— I was born in Egypt, but I actually spent the first seven years of my life in Saudi Arabia — in Jeddah. Then, in 2000, we moved back to Egypt, where I lived for another 11 years before leaving when I was 18.

So, different parts of my life unfolded in different places, and each of them shaped me in its own way. But my warmest memories are definitely from Saudi — playing outside in the backyard with my sister, always going on little adventures. We lived in a closed compound, so we could just go out and explore. When it rained, we would jump in the mud and run around — it was so carefree and full of joy. We have always been best friends and grew up side by side.

After moving to Egypt, we still tried to play outside, though my mum would always remind us, “Cairo isn’t Jeddah — you can’t just open the door and go out.”

— Was modelling something you dreamt about as a child, or did it happen by chance?

— It is so funny, because it might seem like yes — my sister and I even have these old photos from our backyard in Jeddah where we are both posing like little fashion stars. Though it was just a game, at that age I had absolutely no idea what modelling even was.

In fact, I was the sort of kid who would argue with my mum before school because I refused to wear skirts or dresses — they just felt too girly for me. I much preferred shorts, being outdoors, climbing around, and getting messy. So no, I never thought about it as a child.

— Your sister is your business partner today. Was she always connected to the creative world or the fashion industry?

— Yes, my sister is my partner and co-founder, and while she is very creative, she actually doesn’t come from either a fashion or a modelling background. She studied media, communications, and tech, and used to work at Snapchat when she was living in the States.

Our mix of backgrounds is what really makes the partnership work — there is a genuine synergy between us. She is also amazing with clients. I completely leave that part to her because she is much better at it than I am.

— So how did you actually become a model?

— To keep it short, it all began when I went to Milan to study fashion design and styling. But getting there wasn’t easy — I am the eldest in my family, and growing up in Egypt, my dad was quite protective. As much as he has always been supportive, he was worried — in Egypt, it isn't really part of the culture for girls to live abroad on their own. So I had to really fight for that freedom.

Eventually, I made it to Italy. While I was studying there, I was scouted by a photographer — and that is how it all began. My ex-partner at the time was also a model, so I naturally became part of that world. That is how I was first introduced to the industry

— Tell me more about your modelling career before founding your agency. What was that experience like?

— Milan 12 years ago was a completely different world. Diversity simply wasn’t part of the conversation yet, especially in Europe. As an Arab and Middle Eastern woman, I didn’t fit the standard — most agencies were focused on Eastern or Western European faces, and I faced a lot of rejection.

I would often hear things like, “You are beautiful, but we would take you if you were blonde,” or “You are amazing, but we already have someone who looks like you.” That “someone” was usually a model from Ethiopia or Sudan — a completely different person, but with brown skin. Sometimes they would even get my identity completely wrong. I still remember walking into an agency and hearing, “Hello, Fabrizio, the Indian girl has arrived,” even though I am Egyptian. Moments like that really showed how narrow-minded the industry was back then.

And honestly, I looked quite different at the time too. My eyebrows were thin, my hair was straight for nearly two years — I was still figuring out who I was. After so many rejections, I simply stopped trying to fit in. I let my eyebrows grow out, stopped straightening my hair, and decided to just be myself.

That is when things began to change. I received an offer from an agency in India and decided to move there — and that is really where my career took off. I started working on editorials for Vogue, Elle, Femina, and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as television commercials for fashion, jewellery, and lifestyle brands. Many of those campaigns required acting and showing personality, not just posing, which I really loved.

India taught me how deeply modelling is tied to mindset — how you see yourself and how you embody your identity. It can be a tough industry for young women. You are constantly judged on your appearance, and rejection is rarely explained. Nobody tells you that sometimes it is not about you at all — it is simply about fitting the concept of a campaign.

At the time, I didn’t have a mother agency — neither in Italy, nor in India — so I had to learn everything myself: how to reach out, how to plan a career, and when it is time to move on. That experience — learning it all the hard way — is what eventually pushed me to start my own agency. I wanted to be the guide I never had.

— It feels like your idea for creating an agency came from your personal experience. Can you tell me about the moment you decided to move from modelling into building your own agency?

— It all happened quite naturally while I was still modelling. There were several steps — like a formula that finally gave the result — but it all came together one by one.

Working with different designers and photographers from around the world, I began to notice something surprising: so many of them would say, “Oh my God, I’ve never met an Egyptian model before.” That really stuck with me. I realised how few Egyptian women were represented internationally in the creative world, especially in modelling — and that is when the idea started to take shape.

Then, in 2018, I came back to Egypt just to renew my visa before travelling again, but I ended up working with one photographer, then another, and things simply began to unfold. People started recognising me as “that girl” who brought something different — not just in how she looked, but in her energy and attitude. I began using all that knowledge almost unconsciously. My poses became more expressive, more emotional — nothing like the typical ones you would expect. During these shoots in Egypt, I often met young models who didn’t even realise that modelling could be a serious career. For many, it was just a hobby or something to do for fun. But I would always think — no, this isn’t a hobby. This is my life.

And finally, one day, I met a girl on set who had so much potential. I didn’t have an agency yet, but I told her, “Come with me to shoot. I will teach you posing and the basics while I work on building something bigger.” And that is really how it all began.

— So you invited her to shoot, and from there, everything started to grow?

— Yes. She was underage — only sixteen at the time — so I told her I wanted to meet her and her mother first. I met the girl and her mum, showed them my model book from India and my card, and explained what I wanted to build — a proper space for Egyptian talents. She loved the idea and asked if she could bring her sister to our next meeting.

When her sister came along, she asked if I had any investors. I said no — I was still in the early stages. Without hesitation, she said she wanted to invest. That is how it all began. We both put in money to register the company and kept it quiet for the first two months.

During that time, I started scouting everywhere — schools, clubs, malls, even supermarkets. The first batch was around five girls, and we called them new gen models. We created an online account, and soon people started sending me screenshots saying, “Look! There is a new agency in Egypt — you should apply!” They had no idea it was me behind it.

In November 2018, during my talk at Cairo Photo Week, I decided to announce the agency — UNN Model Management — publicly. I didn’t even tell the organisers beforehand, so they were a bit surprised, but it just felt right. That moment marked the official beginning.

Later, my first partner and I went our separate ways, and that is when my sister joined the company. From there, we began building a stronger foundation and really understanding the business side of things. At first, I was purely an artist — I didn’t know a thing about business. I would say yes to any deal that sounded exciting, simply because I wanted to make it happen. But my sister brought structure and sustainability to everything we did.

— That is amazing. You started in 2018 — now it has been more than seven years. How has the agency grown since then, and what is your scale today?

— Over the years, I have grown with the agency, and the agency has grown with me. It has been a shared evolution — whatever I go through personally reflects in the company, and vice versa.

It isn't always easy. Sometimes you want to grow as a person without the weight of constant responsibility. But now that the agency has expanded so much, it is impossible to separate the two.

We never set out to create a movement, but that is what it became. Through the way we scouted and developed talent, people in Egypt and across the Middle East began to see the UNN as part of a wider women’s empowerment movement.

In Egypt, society often defines what is acceptable and what isn't — what you should study, how you should dress, what kind of career is considered “appropriate.” Modelling challenged that narrative. It is one of the few industries without barriers — no gender, no religion, no morality police — it is pure art, expressed through the human form.

Fashion has always been quietly revolutionary. Models have always been part of cultural change. When women weren’t allowed to wear trousers in public, they were already appearing on magazine covers wearing them. Fashion reflects and predicts social change long before society realises it.

— You mentioned that the agency teaches more than just posing. What is the most important thing new models need to learn?

— It always starts with work ethic and self-awareness. A lot of people think modelling is just about looking good in front of a camera, but it is really about discipline, respect, and professionalism.

You need to know how to communicate — with your agent, the photographer, the stylist, the client. Those relationships shape your reputation. And in Egypt, a lot of this still isn’t taught, because we are still building the industry from the ground up.

Sometimes, the girls we scout don’t come from creative or fashion backgrounds, so we start from scratch — teaching them confidence, body awareness, and emotional control.

It is a process that is both internal and external. A model’s look, movement, and confidence evolve with time. That is something people need to understand. Especially here in Egypt, we are often raised to move and speak in a very controlled, self-conscious way. Modelling helps unlearn that — it opens you up.

Also, people forget how challenging this path is. There is this idea that once you join an agency, everything happens instantly — like you will be working the next day or become a top model overnight. But that is not how it works.

— How do you usually scout new faces? You mentioned going to places like malls or cafes — what are you looking for when you approach someone?

— I scout everywhere — honestly, everywhere. Schools, clubs, events, even supermarkets. Most people we approach never expect it.

What catches my attention is authenticity. I am not looking for perfection — not the perfect face, body, or hair. Some of the most striking people I have found were in their most natural state — maybe in a sporty outfit, tired after training — but something real came through.

I look for potential beyond what is visible in the moment. Sometimes it is height, sometimes it is movement, and sometimes it is just the way someone carries themselves. That presence can’t be taught — but it can be shaped.

— And during interviews — has it ever happened that someone looked perfect visually, but something about their personality or attitude didn’t fit?

— Definitely. It has happened many times. You can love how someone looks, but when you speak with them, you feel a wall — like they are hiding behind a mask. It could be insecurity, ego, or just fear.

If they are not willing to let go of that and be open, then the vision won’t align. In that case, it is better for them to find another agency or go independent. Otherwise, it becomes uncomfortable for both sides — the model and the agency.

— Your agency, the UNN, isn’t just about commercial work — it has a strong cultural layer, showing new faces from the region to the world. How do you balance commercial requirements with your mission to represent real diversity?

— I think brands today care most about what is cool — about authenticity and collaboration. They are no longer just hiring models to wear clothes; they want personalities who can embody and represent their vision.

That is why at UNN, our workshops focus about 80% on character development and only 20% on posing. I never teach someone how to pose by numbers — “one, two, three.” That doesn’t last. Every gesture, every emotion, every movement is a pose.

When we launched UNN, I wasn’t thinking strategically about what brands wanted. I honestly didn’t care about the clients at first. I was focused on giving Egyptian and Middle Eastern women visibility — showing that they exist, and that they can compete internationally.

In the beginning, local clients would say, “These girls look too Egyptian,” or “They’re not models.” And I would tell them, “That’s okay — you’re not my audience right now.”

A year later, those same models were walking in Milan and Paris, on Louisa Via Roma billboards, getting modelling visas that never existed before for Egyptian talent. When brands abroad started calling them “international models,” local clients changed their perception too.

That is when Egypt’s market began craving diversity. We showed that it is not about ethnicity or features — it is about presence, identity, and self-expression.

— You have seen the industry from both sides — as a model and as an agency founder. What is the biggest challenge that models face, something people outside the industry don’t always see?

— The biggest challenge is emotional. From the outside, modelling looks glamorous — but it is a job that constantly tests your confidence.

You are judged every day — by clients, photographers, even by yourself. Rejection can feel personal. And if you don’t have proper guidance or emotional resilience, it can really take a toll. That is why I put so much emphasis on emotional development. You need to know who you are, what you stand for, and what your value is beyond your image. Only then can you survive — and grow — in this industry.

— What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a model today?

— Do your research. Understand the industry you are trying to enter — just like you would with any career. Modeling might seem artistic or based on appearance, but it is still a business. Just because it is creative doesn’t mean it is easy or casual.

Looks change. Trends change. One season you could book the biggest campaign in the world, and the next, you might not work at all. The world isn’t fair — so you need to evolve constantly. As a person, as an artist, as a model.

— One last fun question — do you have a favorite shoot? Maybe not of yourself, but of one of your models?

— Every shoot is special in its own way, especially the ones that lead to real opportunity or change.

But one that stands out is the Dior shoot in December 2022, after their show in Egypt. The photographer, Dexter Navy, asked us to street scout for the editorial. We went beyond our agency’s board and actually scouted people in the streets.

One of the models we discovered was simply walking through a market. We stopped to chat, and later ended up signing him. Not long after, photos from that very shoot appeared on billboards in New York and Japan. Imagine — one conversation completely changed his life. It was such a beautiful story. Those are the moments I live for.