Call girl to catwalk queen: Former teen prostitute accused of underage sex with footballers shows lingerie collection at Paris couture week

By Deborah Arthurs

Just two years ago Zahia Dehar was a teenage prostitute embroiled in a scandal involving three French footballers who were alleged to have illegally paid the underage girl for sex. 
Fast forward to 2012, and Zahia has entirely transformed her fortunes.
Trading on her notoriety as a sex symbol, Zahia Dehar reinvented herself as a lingerie designer, showing her first collection on the Paris catwalks in January earlier this year.
And last night, her status as a recognised figure in the fashion industry was cemented as the blonde former courtesan showcased her second collection of lingerie at Paris Couture Week.

Couture Barbie: Former courtesan Zahia Dehar presented her autumn/winter lingerie line during Paris couture week last night

Zahia, who modelled some of her designs herself at last night's show, appeared as a stylised Barbie doll to open the event before a stream of models took to the runway wearing a succession of ever more risque lingerie.
Zahia, now 20, was just 16 when she met French footballer Franck Ribery, 28. She was 17 when his fellow footballing peers Karim Benzema, 23, and Sidney Govou, 31, were accused of paying the underage vice girl thousands of pounds for sex.
Prostitution is legal in France where the accused men lived, but women selling sexual services must be 18 years old or over.
The men involved in the allegations faced up to three years in prison and fines of up to £40,000.

 

Ribery's lawyers say they proved he could not have known Zahia was underage at the time that he paid her for sex. The allegations levelled at the other two men have never been proven.
Nonetheless, the reputations of all three men were left sullied.
But while the men were disgraced, Zahia capitalised on her notoriety, turning her life around entirely.
Soon after the allegations came to light, Zahia became a lingerie model, appearing on the cover of V magazine and in Vanity Fair Italy, among other publications before tunring her hand to couture lingerie.
Entranced by her beauty, and the romantic notion of the history of the French courtesan he said she represented, a charmed Karl Lagerfeld photographed her debut look book himself.
With this ultimate seal of approval, the rest, as they say, is history. Zahia Dehar's metamorphosis from courtesan to catwalk queen was complete.

Ballerinas opened Zahia's toy box to allow the courtesan-turned-catwalk queen to walk onto the runway

Scarlet ladies: The sultry designs used sheer netting and dip-dyed silk to create a dramatic red rose effect

Blooming lovely: The collection was festooned with floral motifs and scattered with petals

Cheeky: Barely-there designs by Zahia

Sweet: Cupcake frosting inspired the pastel pinks and candy colours of Zahia Dehar's collection

Ethereal: The pure white bridal elements of the collection had a romantic, fantasy feel

Accomplished: The intricate designs demonstrated definite talent

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