This collaboration includes the location shoot in Zambia in 2012 of Playboy's first Playmate of the Year.

Hawker's passion for image making evolved from her fascination with gender treatment in society, and photography is the medium through which she expresses her ideas and vision. Her work has a distinctive style which is bold and assured. Apart from Playboy, Hawker's own and commissioned work has been featured in One Small Seed, Design Indaba, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Style Report for e.tv, The Sunday Times, and on 567 Cape Talk and Talk Radio 702. Hawker has been involved in numerous exhibitions, curatorships and group shows including, among others, the Cape Town Month of Photography, the Sanlam Vuleka Awards, Sasol New Signatures, Cultivaria with Erdmann Contemporary and at the Association for Visual Arts.

"Playboy has a commitment to nurturing a free, mature and respectful enjoyment of sexuality, by both genders, and in many conversations we have had with Leah, as well is in witnessing her handling of potential models and actual photo sessions, we gained the utmost confidence that she would represent the very best in what Playboy stands for and wishes to achieve. We have complete peace of mind that when we refer a potential model to her, that this young person, who may have many questions, will be handled in the most professional manner possible. Yes, we have worked with several fantastic local freelance photographers over the past two years, but Leah stands out for the manner in which she treats each model. There needs to be a huge basis for trust when a model decides to appear in a Playboy edition, and Leah engenders and sustains that trust," says editor-in-chief, Charl du Plessis. "And that is actually a bonus, as the quality of work that Leah delivers as photographer stands alongside the best of Playboy international. Two of her past Playboy photo shoots have recently appeared in other international Playboy editions," he added.

Playboy South Africa is the local edition of the world's best-selling men's lifestyle magazine and is published monthly by Chapel Lane Media. In its two years since launch, Playboy South Africa has become one of the most talked-about brands in the local social media space and has developed a solid and loyal local following. Due to continued resistance from newsstand outlets, Playboy's digital strategy makes it one of the fastest-growing on-line subscription titles in South Africa.