Richmond Model Walks at NY Fashion Week

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA
February 17th 2024

Our Oct. 6 2023 story about Richmond resident Elly Nehnavaj and her modeling career generated a tremendous response. We thought our readers would be interested in learning about her latest adventure.

RICHMOND – After overcoming multiple physical challenges to model in Rhode Island Fashion Week last September, Elisabeth “Elly” Nehnevaj, recently returned from walking an even bigger runway, at New York Fashion Week.

Nehnevaj found out just before the Christmas holiday that she would be in one of the New York shows. She traveled from Richmond with her husband, Joe, to her parents’ home in New Jersey and from there, the family took a train to New York City for the show, which took place on Feb. 9.

Getting Ready

In the weeks leading up to the show, Nehnevaj said her preparation focused on the basics.

“Healthy diet, exercise - not too much. You don’t want to overdo it,” she said. “Just a healthy diet, and a lot of stretching. A lot of people think ‘oh, you’re just walking up and down the catwalk. That’s something anybody can do.’ But it’s actually pretty strenuous. … It’s a lot, and you’ve really got to make sure your body is stretched well enough and hydrated, so you don’t end up cramping up.”

Nahnevaj admitted to being nervous before she walked the runway.

“I was shaking like a leaf right before, but as soon as my heels hit the floor, all of my stresses and worries just completely melted away and I was so focused on not falling and making sure I was walking slowly, steadily,” she said.

At just 4 feet 9 inches, Nehnevaj does not fit the typical profile of runway models, who are usually very tall. But “typical” no longer dominates a fashion industry that is evolving to include models of diverse ages and sizes, and Nehnevaj is finding her niche as a petite model.

In New York, Nehnevaj modeled for the designer “On the Go with Princess O,” whose clothes she had also shown in Rhode Island.

“They were the same designer who I walked for, for Rhode Island Fashion Week, and they had asked me to come back and walk for this show,” she said. “For our little group, there was about five of us ranging in all ages from five to 30.”

Overcoming Health Challenges

Nehnevaj was born with a rare blood disease, Fanconi anemia, which can affect many parts of the body. She has undergone two kidney transplants and is currently on dialysis as she waits for a third donor.

“I had to juggle all of my treatments with New York Fashion Week and luckily, that was not a problem,” she said. “I was able to have one of my treatments done in New Jersey before my show. Having a dream job and trying to juggle healthcare and managing health, it is a lot to handle, but I’m doing my best and keeping myself busy and doing the things I love to do.”

As exciting as it was to be in a big fashion show, Nehnevaj said she had also really enjoyed meeting other petite models. 

“Obviously, walking down that runway was a huge dream, but actually, meeting all the people and making new friends throughout this whole experience was really rewarding for me, because it was so fun being in a room filled with like-minded people, especially petite people like me.”

Future Projects

Nehnevaj is now looking ahead to her next project. She will be speaking at “Celebrate Women’s History” at the Boston Public Library’s Roxbury branch on March 13.

“I will be sharing my story with Fanconi anemia and chronic kidney failure,” she said.

She is also working with Naima Mora, winner of the reality television show “America’s Top Model” in 2005.

“When I was practicing my walk, she told me to think of a word, think of a special word, or a word that really makes you feel good, and you just keep saying that to yourself over and over again as you walk,” she said. “You’re trying to get yourself ready and hype yourself up to start walking, and that was really helpful. She knows about my personal story and she thought it was really cool – and I have her personal phone number now!”