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The tea seller who became a model

November 1, 2016

Arshad Khan was just another of the countless tea sellers in Pakistan's capital Islamabad - until the photographer Jiah Ali discovered him. Her image of the man with the piercing blue eyes became an Instagram hit.

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Image: Jiah Ali

Arshad Khan works as a Chaiwala, or tea seller, in an Islamabad marketplace - where the handsome young man was discovered by Pakistani photographer Jiah Ali. She uploaded the photo to her Instagram account, giving it a worldwide audience. The hashtag #chaiwala went viral, and the unknown street seller became an internet star. Now a Pakistani fashion label has signed the 19-year-old ex-chaiwala onto a contract as a model.