Scotland native Tiffany McNair struts runway in Qatar

QATAR —Tiffany McNair is paving her way more than 7,000 miles away in the Middle East — the runway that is.

The Scotland County native most recently walked the catwalk six times over in the Doha Fashion Show as part of Fashion Week held in the country of Qatar.

“I would have never thought in my 40s I would have signed an international modeling contract, be picked up by a talent agency, walk a runway show, open and close it and get invited to Paris Fashion Week, all in the same year, in the same month, in the same year … It was like really an experience of a lifetime, it really was,” said McNair, who is known by the modeling handle “Tiffany Nichole.”

McNair, a Class of 2000 graduate of Scotland High School, moved to Qatar a year ago after securing a job as a government contractor for the Department of State. The last time McNair stepped foot in the Middle East was to serve in the war in Iraq.

“Every since I was a teenager leaving Laurinburg to go into the military at 17, I just never looked back. I always knew the world was so much bigger … The military afforded me the opportunity to see the world,” McNair said.

Moving to Qatar — one of the richest countries in the world by GDP, according to Forbes — helped McNair see an alternative side of the Middle East from her time in Iraq.

“I didn’t know about Qatar because it’s overshadowed by Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates) which is an hour’s flight away … I had no idea about how wonderful this place was … It’s a very metropolitan city,” McNair said.

McNair also did not know about the budding fashion scene in Qatar.

“I didn’t really know they were into fashion because they wear the traditional clothes all the time,” McNair said.

Once she arrived at the Doha Fashion Show and saw the celebrities, the paparazzi and the red carpet and designers from all over the world, McNair discovered just how big an industry it was in the country.

“I really didn’t know where I was and how much of a big deal it was until I was actually getting dressed as a model to walk the runway,” McNair said.

McNair is not new to the modeling industry, which is why she was a “natural” walking in the Qatar show.

“Don’t fall,” McNair advised. “Don’t smile because that’s like the rule on the runway … Look forward and just like be there.”

These are rules that were engrained in her mind years ago when she had the opportunity to audition for the hit show “America’s Next Top Model” and made it to the finals.

“It was discovered that I had tape under my heels because I was too short … So I didn’t get chosen to go on the television show,” McNair admitted.

Today, changes in the fashion industry have allowed models of all ages and sizes to work, something McNair does not take for granted.

“They got plus sized, they got short. It doesn’t matter now,” said McNair, who is 5’7.”

In Qatar, it came down to her skill set and being an American that set McNair apart in the eyes of multiple designers.

“All the designers were like “I want her” and I was like, “Me?” McNair said. “I was the only American in the show and they were like ‘Who is that?’ After that first walk out I ended up being casted behind the scenes,” McNair said.

The Scotland native ended up being selected to walk in six shows where she opened for one designer and closed for another.

“It was such a cool experience … I got to open up a show from this designer from Lebanon and I got to close a show for this designer from Ireland,”

McNair says it’s never too late to achieve one’s dreams and she is a testament to that.

“Use me as your it’s never too late button …Everything has its own timing,” McNair said.