Fashion icon Noelie Dasouza Machado or popularly known as China Machado died in a cardiac arrest at the age of 86 on Sunday (Dec. 18) in Brookhaven, New York, on Long Island. She left with a legacy of having one of the most unique and extraordinary careers in the fashion industry.

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China Machado is not only a fashion model but also an editor and television producer who broke race and age barrier.

Machado, who has a  multi-ethnic background of Portuguese, Chinese, and Indian, was born in Shanghai, China, on Dec. 25, 1929. She began her career as a runway model, starting with a show by the designer Hubert de Givenchy, where a modeling agency had sent her.

It was at the Givenchy show in 1958 that she met and became friends with the photographer Richard Avedon, who once described Machado as "probably the most beautiful woman in the world."

She was the first non-white person to appear on the cover of a major American glossy fashion magazine issued in February 1959, changing the industry for women of color. Machado has also worked for Christian Dior and Balenciaga.

Machado was showcased in editorials and campaigns for decades, proving that there was a space for non-white models. Her legacy extended far beyond the pictures she created and the poses she made.

According to Legacy, she was earning $1,000 a day at the height of her modeling career, making her the highest paid runway model in Europe at the time.

Machado was once married to Martin LaSalle but got divorced later. They had two daughters, namely, Blanche LaSalle and Emmanuelle LaSalle-Hill. 

She was then remarried to Riccardo Rosa who survived her together with her two daughters.

According to Ivan Bart, the president of IMG Models, "China was instrumental in teaching younger models, 'Own yourself, own your beauty'." 

TagsChina Machado, Fashion Icon