For Abbie Njasi the catwalk is more than a runway.
It became a place to rebuild herself.
Now the Kenyan model is preparing to spend 24 hours on a catwalk in Nairobi in an officially approved Guinness World Records attempt that she says will test her physical endurance, mental strength and belief in an unconventional creative path.
The title she is targeting is Longest Marathon Modeling on a Catwalk.
According to Njasi the attempt has been approved by Guinness World Records after months of applications, waiting and an earlier setback that forced her to change the record category she initially planned to pursue.
But long before the Guinness attempt became a possibility, Njasi was using modelling to find her way through grief.
“At first it was just a way for me to alchemize my pain. I was going through grief and gradually it ignited life back in me.”
That transformation helped shape the model she is today one who has chosen the streets as her runway rather than waiting for traditional fashion spaces to define where she belongs.
From traditional modelling to the streets
Njasi describes herself as a “free creative soul” before anything else.
She sees herself not only as a model but also as a communicator and storyteller who is constantly looking for new ways to express ideas.
Her first connection with modelling came through the creative process — the clothes, movement, posing, cameras and transformation involved in building an image.
But it was the freedom that kept pulling her back.
“What really made me connect with it was the freedom. I could explore different sides of myself, tell stories and create an experience through movement and presence.”
Although she had entered the modelling industry earlier she says she was initially inconsistent because of instability and other dangers.
Her official debut in street modelling came in June 2025.
The street offered something traditional modelling spaces did not.
“I think the street gave me freedom and real connection that a conventional runway couldn’t.”
For Njasi the decision was also about challenging narrow ideas of beauty.
She says traditional modelling can place heavy expectations on a model's appearance including facial features, body shape, teeth and skin tone.
As an African woman she felt those expectations could be shaped by standards that did not necessarily reflect her own understanding of beauty.
The street gave her a different kind of freedom.
“I wanted to create without constantly asking whether I fit someone else’s definition of beauty.”
Her philosophy is simple.
“The street is my runway.”
A question that changed the direction of her career.
The Guinness World Record idea did not begin as a carefully planned campaign.
It began during an ordinary walk home with a friend.
Njasi remembers her friend telling her:
“Enyewe unapenda hii kitu yako ya modelling sana.”
He then asked her what the most significant thing she could do in her career would be if she wanted to feel completely satisfied.
Her answer came almost immediately.
A Guinness World Record.
Njasi applied in January and says she went through several applications and rejections before deciding to pursue an existing record.
She then spent months waiting for approval.
Just as she began preparing and training she received communication that she could no longer proceed with the record she had been pursuing.
The setback was frustrating after the time and effort she had already invested.
But the process did not end there.
According to Njasi Guinness later moved her into another category that she says was much closer to her work as a model.
That category became Longest Marathon Modeling on a Catwalk.
For Njasi the experience eventually became bigger than the record itself.
She sees it as a story about resilience and the determination of Kenyan creatives who continue pushing forward despite uncertainty.
She draws on a phrase commonly heard in Kenya:
“Niko poa, ni kujikaza tu.”
For her that attitude captures what the challenge represents.
What 24 hours on the catwalk will actually look like
To the audience the event may resemble a fashion show.
Behind the scenes it will be an endurance test governed by strict rules.
Njasi will be the only person attempting the record.
She plans to walk continuously on a raised runway while showcasing outfits from different designers.
There will be music with Njasi expected to walk in rhythm with it.
An emcee may also speak about the outfits and the stories behind them.
The music can pause for up to 15 minutes when necessary.
The outfit changes will also be tightly controlled.
Njasi says she can wear one outfit for a maximum of four hours but will have only three minutes to change into the next one.
The rest system is equally demanding.
For every completed hour she is entitled to five minutes of rest.
That means two completed hours would earn her 10 minutes of rest.
Stopping after one hour and 30 minutes would earn five minutes.
She cannot exceed the allocated rest period because doing so would end the attempt.
A support team will work behind the runway helping with dress changes and logistics.
Njasi also says the attempt will require a clearly visible timer, official witnesses, continuous video coverage and extensive documentation for verification.
In other words the spectacle may look like fashion.
The mechanics behind it will be closer to a carefully monitored endurance test.
What happens when the body says stop?
The biggest question may not be whether Njasi can walk.
It is whether she can keep walking when the excitement is gone and exhaustion takes over.
Asked what she will draw on when her feet hurt and her mind tells her to stop she had a one-word answer.
Freedom.
“I’ll think of the freedom I have as a creative and feel free from exhaustion.”
For Njasi that moment will reveal another part of her identity.
“It will reveal resilience.”
And resilience is at the heart of what she hopes people will remember when the 24 hours are over.
More than a record
Njasi does not see the challenge simply as an attempt to put her name into a record book.
She wants it to demonstrate that there can be different paths to fulfilment.
Her message is directed especially at creatives who may feel pressured to follow conventional routes.
“The moment should remind people that there’s always something for everyone, most of the times in the conventional way, but sometimes it is in the most unconventional and creative way.”
She believes people need to listen to themselves and find the path that fits them.
“You just need to listen to yourself, be true to yourself and find a path for you, be resilient on that path.”
That may ultimately be the real story behind Njasi's 24-hour catwalk.
The record attempt is the destination.
The journey from grief to street modelling and finally to a global endurance challenge is what makes her story distinctive.
For a woman who once found freedom by taking fashion to the streets the next step is to see how far that freedom can carry her.
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