Zürich – It is the classic “from dishwasher to millionaire” story, almost too good to be true: a teenager from Israel with no prior modeling experience suddenly steps onto the runway at Paris Fashion Week as a leading model for the fashion house Christian Dior.
Sofia Mechetner, 14, has been described by her Israeli modeling agent as a young Claudia Schiffer. Coming from humble beginnings in Holon near Tel Aviv, she was unexpectedly catapulted into the world of modeling. She shared a bedroom with her younger siblings, helped her single mother with housework, and occasionally dreamed of one day working as a model.
Her talent was first recognized by a local modeling agency in Tel Aviv, which forwarded her photos to the renowned Viva modeling agency in Paris. Initially, she was rejected as too young. But a chance encounter with Raf Simons in a Dior store changed everything – a moment that would forever alter her modeling career.
The story was extensively covered by Israel’s Channel 2. A representative of the Viva modeling agencies described how a call from Dior’s assistants turned her life upside down: “They have a young girl named Sofia… Raf Simons met her and absolutely wants her.”
Today, Mechetner has signed a $265,000 contract with Dior and is already featured as a model on the company’s website. In an interview after the show, the young teenager modestly explained that with the money, she first simply wants to “move and hopefully get my own room” – a simple wish for a girl who has just entered the world of modeling.
