Diané van Greuning, an 11-year-old photography and fashion model, is making waves in the fashion world.

She is currently the face of Colombia Fashion Kids 2025, a title she earned in 2024.

Coached by Mervin Marvey of M&M Coachings, Diané first started participating in pageants at the beginning of 2024, inspired by her mom to try it out. However, she quickly found her passion in fashion and photography. She will represent South Africa this August at the Colombia Fashion Kids fashion show in Bogotá, Colombia – a great honour and an incredible experience for a girl her age.

Diané’s journey to becoming an international model began when she was selected as one of the top five finalists for the International Casting Fashion Kids Icon title. It was during this competition that Colombia Fashion Kids discovered her and offered her the opportunity to become their International Face.

“This is a life-changing opportunity that has helped me regain my confidence after being bullied for years. Today, I want to be a voice for other children who are bullied for being ‘different’, and I want to show that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible,” she said during an interview with the Roodepoort Record.

Her parents, Dirk and Heidi van Greuning, couldn’t be prouder of their daughter for the hard work and determination she’s been putting in.

“As parents, we must support her and give her exposure to different skills as much as possible. We are very proud of her for doing something out of her comfort zone,” they said.

Diané is also passionate about giving back to the community and has, at her age, led successful charity work projects.

“My advice to other young children is to never give up and to never change yourselves to fit in,” Heidi concluded.