Liya Kebede
Liya Kebede could have easily been more than satisfied with a multimillion-dollar Estée Lauder contract, several major advertising campaigns and turns on the runway as well as on the cover of Vogue (not to mention her two beautiful young children). But in 2005, after being named a United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) goodwill ambassador for her work raising awareness of the health risks facing new mothers and infants in her native Ethiopia, Kebede, 30, felt there was more she could do to give back to her country. On a trip home to Addis Ababa with her husband Kassy, she was struck by the fact that traditional weavers were losing their jobs because of low demand for their goods and realized that by employing them she could introduce them to the Western market. And so in 2007, lemlem, meaning "to bloom" or "to flourish" in Amharic, was born. A collection of children's clothing handmade in Ethiopia, it is sold at stores like Barneys and Scoop and online at sonsanddaughtersinc.com. By continuing the tradition of weaving, Kebede hopes not only to give voice to another African cause but also to create a global platform for Ethiopia's brilliant craftsmanship. —Kate Betts