London, July 13: Neelam Gill, who is about the only British Asian girl to have made an impact in what she calls the "racist and elitist" world of fashion modelling, has been taken on as an ambassador for L'Oréal, the French cosmetics company confirmed today.

"It's true," a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris UK in London told The Telegraph.

This means Neelam will be used mainly for promoting L'Oréal beauty products in the UK, although it is possible her face will become familiar to the company's growing market in India. Referring to its ambassadors, the company says that "L'Oréal Paris has chosen glamorous stars with incomparable charisma that inspire women around the world with their unique style".

Since L'Oréal is one of the main sponsors of the Cannes Film Festival, the Indian women in particular - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and, in the past, Katrina Kaif and Freida Pinto - invariably get a chance of strutting their stuff on the red carpet in front of hundreds of photographers. They are made up by L'Oréal experts flown in from Paris - hence Aishwarya's purple lips to match the company's purple PR prose.

Neelam, who had last week told the celebrity website Female First that "People don't realise that the industry is not only racist, it's elitist, too", is in good company. She joins the likes of Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce.

The news that she had been taken on has been doing the rounds for some weeks but the formal confirmation came today. It will provide a much-needed boost for the 22-year-old whose career had gone into something of a dip since she came to prominence when she first walked for Burberry in 2014.

"I feel honoured to be working alongside such an influential company, especially being the first British-Indian model," Neelam commented. "Growing up I felt left out and unrepresented knowing that nobody in mainstream media looked like me, and now I hope to change that."

"I can't even believe I'm writing this right now, but I am insanely proud to announce I am the new face of L'Oréal Paris UK," she added. "Saying 'this is a dream come true' would be an understatement."

"Ever since I started modelling I've always said to my agency I want a contract with L'Oréal Paris," she said. "I feel like this is a huge milestone for me as I know a lot of girls suffer because they feel they aren't represented in the media, and hopefully me doing this will make them proud."

Neelam's influence stems from the fact that she has broken through as a top model in the fashion and advertising industry where non-white girls continue to be marginalised and find it very difficult to get work.

She has been picked as the face of the American brand Abercrombie & Fitch; and appointed the first official brand ambassador for Blink Brow Bar, which offers expertise in eyebrow shaping.

Neelam wore a burgundy and gold lehenga, when she teamed up with fellow model Suki Waterhouse to shoot a video promoting British Airways' Dreamliner flights from Heathrow to New Delhi.

She has also worked for H&M, been featured in Vogue magazine, appeared on the cover of ES, the London Evening Standard's colour magazine, and walked for Kanye West's Fashion Week Show and for Dior.

Last year, when the National Portrait Gallery put on one of its most successful exhibitions, Vogue 100: A Century of Style, the BBC had asked Neelam to give viewers a "private tour" of the show.

In her engaging 17-minute commentary on the Vogue covers and features, Neelam focused on some of the most illustrious models and photographers of their day. But she picked out two non-white models, Naomi Campbell and Jourdan Dunn, who have broken the mould, for special mention.

Neelam, who has the advantage of being 5ft 10in tall, was born Neelam Johal in Coventry on April 27, 1995. Her parents were also born in the UK but her grandparents came from Punjab. Her parents divorced when she was young and she has taken her stepfather's surname.

At 14 she had come to London and signed with Models1, one of the top agencies in the country. Her life was transformed when Models1 called the day after her A-level results came out and got her an appointment to see Burberry and its chief executive Christopher Bailey.

She remembered the moment when everything changed for her. "I called Models1 in the evening to see if I had any castings for the next day and they said, 'Burberry's confirmed you.' I was just like, 'What?' And they said, 'Yeah, Burberry booked you as a global exclusive for London Fashion Week.' I was so shocked. Because it was three months in advance, I couldn't even tell anyone, it was so tough! On the day of the show I uploaded a picture of myself to Facebook and everyone was like, 'Is this for real?'"

Her ambition is still to get a First at university, preferably in psychology, because she achieved excellent A levels in English language and literature, as well as in history and psychology. But university has been deferred while she attempts the transition from top model to supermodel.