Maryam Elisha is a Nigerian model, beauty queen, and fashion designer. She founded the Rikaoto by ME fashion brand in 2009, two years after being crowned Miss Valentine. Elisha was also named one of the 20 most influential pageant personalities in Nigeria.
Personal life and education
Elisha is from Kebbi state but was born in Kano state to a now retired police officer father and a businesswoman mother. She is the youngest of seven children. She had her primary and secondary school education in Kano state before relocating to Lagos state to study English Language at the University of Lagos. After graduating from the university, she proceeded to the New Jersey Fashion School, in the United States, where she trained for eight months in fashion designing. In March 2017, Maryam Elisha had a close call with death.
Career
Modeling
Maryam was scouted by an agent while in secondary school and eventually worked as a model for close to eight years. As a model, she was the maiden face of Airtel Nigeria, when it was Vmobile. She also modeled for other top brands like Delta Soap, Sterling Bank in Nigeria. MTN Nigeria, Lucozade Boost and Diamond Bank are some brands she modeled for.
Pageantry
While studying English Language at the University of Lagos, she entered and won the Miss Valentine Beauty Pageant, 2007. In 2008, Elisha collaborated with another pageant winner, Damilola Otunbanjo, Sisi Oge of Lagos, to advocate for good health care and campaign against stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS. This advocacy brought Elisha the Miss Environment title, by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, and recognition by the former governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. Elisha also contested in the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant 2013 but did not win.
Rikaoto By ME
The brand was founded in 2009 and makes red carpet and evening dresses. Several pageant contestants and winners in local and international competitions have donned designs by Rikaoto By ME. In 2014, due to the association of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2013, Anna Ebiere Banner with the Rikaoto brand, Elisha worked as fashion consultant to MBGN 2014. In 2015, Elisha and her fashion brand received public attention due to the success of pageant contestants she clothed and the awards they won. In a 2016 interview with Encomium Magazine, Elisha disclosed about 14 beauty queens emerged wearing her design. In another 2016 interview with The Punch Newspaper, Elisha said that: “the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2015, Unoaku Anyadike, emerged the top five during the modeling competition at Miss World 2015. Also, Miss Tourism Nigeria 2014, Collete Nwadike, was the first black woman to win the Exquisite Face of the Universe in 2015. She also won the best outfit at the pageant.” Elisha also added bridal outfits to the Rikaoto by ME collections. The brand has exhibited at several fashion shows like the New York Fashion Week, Miami Fashion Week, Washington based DC Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, Mercedes Fashion Week, and The African Fashion Week Nigeria.
Works and recognition
Rikaoto By Me was one of the fashion houses commissioned to make clothes for the ex-president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. She also serve as a judge on pageant shows. Maryam Elisha was named Pageant Couturier of the Year at the 2016 Xperience Womanity Awards, which held in Enugu state in April. In 2017, Elisha picked up two awards, Pageant Designer of the Year and Pageant Couturier of the Year, courtesy Xperience Womanity Awards. The Lagos state government under the administration of governor Akinwunmi Ambode added Maryam Elisha as one of the success stories of the state, in its celebration of the state's 50th anniversary.
