However, one must look back because Rebecca's childhood and adolescence unfolded in darkness and shadows. "My mother and I slept outdoors, in the mud," she states in an interview with Madame Figaro on the occasion of the reissue of her biography Quand les étoiles deviennent noires (When the Stars Turn Black). Born in Agogo (Ghana) in the 60s - impossible to have a birth certificate when giving birth in a small African village - she grew up with the love of her parents, a carpenter and a cook who had two other girls (Helen and Susana) and two boys, Foli and Kani, but the latter died from an illness before turning one.
Tired of her husband's infidelities, her mother decided to start a new life in Lomé, the capital of Togo. From then on, they lived in the home of that mother's stepsister until she suddenly passed away. Due to this event, Rebecca and her mother ended up living on the streets. It seemed like a light was shining when the young girl was relocated to Libreville (Gabon), but nothing could be further from the truth, as another aunt enslaved, tortured, and beat her. In a short period, Rebecca's parents passed away. As if misfortune wasn't enough, at the age of 12, she was raped in Lomé and had a daughter named Affie.
Many good things in life start by chance, and it happened to Rebecca at just 20 years old when she posed in front of a French photographer named Richard whom she had met at the Moulin-Rouge bar in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). With those images, Rebecca landed a temporary modeling job for Kodak and Rexona; however, the definitive boost came when she was crowned Miss Ivory Coast in the 80s.
Such a prestigious beauty title earned her a ticket to Paris, where fate played in her favor once again because during one of her walks on the Champs-Élysées, an employee of the Hachette-Filipacchi group (Elle, Paris Match) discovered her and provided her with a contract with the Glamour agency. This is how Rebecca Ayoko met the master Saint Laurent, who upon seeing her, said, "You are the divine beauty of dreams." After that initial contact, the designer turned her into his muse, walking in all seasons. This made her one of the first black models to walk the runway.
The relationship between Rebecca and Yves St. Laurent was practically like that of a father and a daughter, as the model found the affection, support, and dignity that had been lacking in her childhood. Ayoko felt comfortable with the designer, as he had elegant gestures, a touching gaze, and a soft and delicate tone of voice.
Then came other designers like Dior, Calvin Klein, Gianfranco Ferré, Hubert de Givenchy - who taught her to walk in heels - and Guy Laroche, who "let me sleep in his bed one night."
During her time as a mannequin, she lived the golden dream traveling on private planes, luxurious dinners, nights at the Ritz, and above all, earning a lot of money. Going from having nothing to having it all became a problem. She was so immersed in the world of fame, success, and nightlife excesses that she lost control. Rebecca claims that she spent everything because no one had taught her to save. She never had that opportunity. She had lacked everything. "When I was a model and rich, I indulged in everything and enjoyed luxuries without considering the cost," she states in Madame Figaro.
In a gesture of goodwill, Ayoko introduced Yves Saint Laurent to another attractive black woman named Katoucha. When Rebecca's sister found out, she said, "You've just let the wolf into the sheepfold." She was not mistaken. Within a month, her contract was terminated, and Katoucha became the new muse of the French designer. Unfortunately, the latter passed away in 2008 after drowning in the River Seine following the loss of her fortune, dealing with bad company with a wealthy Russian trafficker, and indulging in a variety of harmful substances.
Rebecca Ayoko decided to make a living as a waitress in New York, where she became the mother of a boy named Clyde, but eventually decided to settle in Paris. Gradually, her name fell into oblivion. The death of Yves Saint Laurent in 2008 deeply affected her. In recent years, she has sponsored Fashion Night Couture, dedicated to young designers, and occasionally walks for brands from the African continent like Imane Ayissi and Hindi Mahdi.