Let’s talk about Yvonne Victoria: model, content creator, powerhouse.

Yvonne Victoria is a model, content creator, self-confessed ‘Lady of Leisure’, and passionate advocate for her community – using her platform as a voice to represent and celebrate Black culture. With over 250,000 Instagram followers and a decade of creating, styling, producing and shooting under her belt, she’s a force to be reckoned with. 

Luckily for you, Yvonne carved some time out of her busy schedule to sit down with us and share her story. After a quick catchup and some light refreshments, we kicked off the conversation by setting the record straight on the growing list of nicknames that she’s earned for herself over the years…

Yvonne, with all your nicknames you’re basically Daenerys Targaryen. Can you talk me through the list?

Yvonne: Hahaha. Well, some people call me by my initials ‘YV’, some call me ‘Big YV’, and there’s still a bunch of people who know me as ‘Lady of Leisure’. That one actually started weirdly! When I was at uni, I was answering questions on my Story and someone asked what I want to do with my life. I said, honestly I just want to be a Lady of Leisure for the rest of my life. And it kind of stuck! Then people started calling me it, I started call myself it, and to this day it’s still a thing – even though I’ve removed it from my bio.

Doesn’t that get confusing?!

Yvonne: It really does! And there’s more! My dad calls me and my sister ‘Princess 1’ and ‘Princess 2’ (I’m number one, of course). I guess nicknames are just a big part of my life. Like, even my new Mercedes has one – my sister named her ‘Victoria the Second’. I love her, she’s gorg. 

That’s iconic. Lady of Leisure, Victoria II, Princess… You know what, sitting with you right now literally does feel like I’m in the presence of royalty. And not just because of the nicknames. It’s this inner strength that you clearly have. Where do you think that came from?

Yvonne: Thank you! I would honestly put it down to my family and my upbringing. My sister is one of my biggest supporters – which is crazy because we never liked each other growing up. You know how sisters fight. But now, she is 100% my right-hand man. 

My mum and dad are amazing as well. They’re very much those parents that genuinely believe we’re the best people in the world. And they always made us aware of that. When I tell you my dad calls me ‘Princess 1’, I’m not lying. He’s barely ever called me ‘Yvonne’. I think it’s his way of giving me confidence. Like, I feel like I’ve always known how important it is to just be yourself. It’s in my roots. 

They must be so proud of everything you’ve achieved. What did they say when you were featured in Elle Magazine?

Yvonne: Well, my parents are Nigerian. So in my community, we love to celebrate and brag about our children and their achievements. So they literally tell everyone. I think my dad even posted on Facebook, like, look what my daughter’s done! 

That’s adorable! So, apart from your family, are there any role models that have inspired you throughout your life?

Yvonne: I have three: Bella Hadid, Rihanna, and Naomi Campbell. I like how they break boundaries and go against rules – they set trends, they don’t follow them. Imagine Rihanna following a trend. It’s impossible. And Naomi was always the exception growing up, you know? I didn’t ever really see anyone else who looked like me in the magazines… So I’ve always loved her for that. There’s no one like her, and she’s still doing it to this day. No days off. She’s amazing.

What do you think of the fashion and beauty landscape now? Have we got any closer to a truly inclusive reality?

Yvonne: “I think it’s nearer now than it was when I did that Elle article, so even in the last few years… and I would honestly put a lot of that down to Rihanna. Fenty Beauty has really sparked a flame in the beauty industry. Because ever since then, in been every new release or drop a brand does, the shades are there. And even if it’s not as much as we would necessarily want, as much as Rihanna’s doing, they’re way more accommodating now than they were.” 

We really do owe a lot to the people who’ve paved the way for representation. And you’re one of them. So what would you say to Naomi Campbell if she was in the room right now?

Yvonne: You know what, I wouldn’t say anything. Because I wouldn’t want her to think of me as just a fan. I’d want to be her friend. And I’d just know that we’d meet again, in another life or whatever. She’s the real Lady of Leisure – like, that name technically belongs to her! 

That’s hilarious but I don’t know about the last bit – you really do own that name, even if it’s not in your bio anymore.

Speaking of your platform… how do you keep things so fresh?

Yvonne: I once said ‘as soon as a new trend hits Instagram, it’s done’. Like, I feel like we can all think of something that Instagram has just ruined. Because everyone’s wearing it! And I’ve thought about that every day since. It pushes me to always try new things, new looks, new styles… I get bored very easily so I never want to be just in one box, in one lane. I very much like to constantly try new things because I love so many different kinds of fashion. So knowing that… pushes me to get more creative.

Oh absolutely, social media is amazing but it’s definitely got its cons. What’s your least favourite thing about it?

Yvonne: When I was younger… I’ve had my audience and my platform since I was 17, so for almost a decade now! And looking back, I was very naive. I didn’t expect the negativity. Being young, and social media being new in general, the negative comments and DMs just came as a shock. It made me a bit paranoid for a while, in the sense that I was purposefully hiding myself away at the start. 

Thankfully, I’ve grown up a bit and embraced my career. If anything, the negative experiences have just taught me how important is is to make social media a positive space because you don’t know what anyone’s going through. Like, at the end of the day, I post pictures when I’m glam but when I’m actually uploading them…. I look the opposite of glam, if you know what I mean!

Do you realise how much of an inspiration you are?! You must get so many DMs from young people who want to be like you when they grow up. What do you say to them?

Yvonne: To be themselves. 100%. I feel like the biggest disservice you can do to yourself is want to be someone else. Because that’s a goal you could spend your whole life and energy trying to achieve. But it’s never going to happen. So if you focus that energy and drive on yourself, than you’ll probably surpass whoever it was that you were looking up to in the first place . It sounds like such a cliché but it’s really about being the best version of yourself. I genuinely believe that. I’ve got my family – and myself – to thank for that. And I just hope young people actually listen to that. I know how stubborn I was when I was 17!

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you, Yvonne. This was enlightening!

Yvonne: It’s my pleasure!

Yvonne Victoria is an absolute powerhouse. If you’d like to find out more about her, check out her Instagram here.