You might not have heard of African designers Adebayo Jones or Jimiking, but local beauty Tiara Ming had the chance to rip the runway in some of their latest designs at Africa Fashion Week in London.Ms Ming is currently an interior design student in the UK but just happens to have a passion for modelling.She started taking part in fashion shows while she was still in high school in Bermuda, with this her largest runway appearance to date.Her favourite part of the experience was taking part in a positive event that brought awareness to African fashions and talents, she said. In addition to Adebayo Jones and Jimiking, she was able to walk for fashion lines Yutees, Trish O Couture and Kiki Clothing.She said: “The collections were stunning and reflected a combination of rich African culture and European fashion. Each garment was beautifully constructed by the designers, who used lots of sequins and vibrant African prints and fabrics; far from the usual.”After taking part in Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) on August 3 and 4, Ms Ming was invited by one designer to model in Nigeria.She said two other designers spoke with her after the show about doing a photo shoot with them and she will also be modelling at of one of the launch events for an upcoming designer next month.She said: “It was a complete cultural experience and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Each show was brilliant and I was very proud, inspired and excited to be apart of AFWL.”Ms Ming was awarded a scholarship by the Bermuda Society of Interior Designers, alongside students Kimberly Fraser and Chakeya Ottley over the summer months.While her interior design career is currently her main focus, Ms Ming said modelling has always been a special hobby.“Although I enjoy doing it, it has never been something I wanted to pursue as a career,” she explained. “But whenever an opportunity arises for a modelling job I take it and try to make the most out of the experience.”When she was younger she was a junior model for United Colors of Benetton and she walked in her first fashion show at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess at age 16.She had the chance to model for fashion line Jeantrix in Philadelphia in 2009 and she has also taken part in photo shoots in London and New York.The opportunity to strut her stuff at AFWL came about when she came across the casting call on the internet. She went to audition in June and impressed the organisers enough to be selected for the event.She claimed fittings were one of the most challenging parts of the experience and said, with a laugh: “Apparently I’m not as slim or tall as I thought I was.“There were a few beautiful gowns that I wasn’t able to pull off because I was one of the shortest models and a few other pieces that couldn’t get past my hips.”All in all, she said it was a really rewarding experience and is looking forward to other opportunities that come from it.“I met a lot of talented designers and models who are pretty known in the industry here in the UK,” she said. “One lady that stood out to me attended the shows on Saturday. A model friend and I met [her] in a restaurant near the event. She was so happy to meet us and talk about her experience at the show and mentioned how all the models looked like goddesses floating down the runway.“We were flattered but at the same time found it interesting how the audience is completely oblivious to the chaos, noise, rush and hairspray models go through before hitting the runway.”