Dirie was born as one of twelve children into a nomadic family in 1965 in the area of Galkayo. Her first name, Waris, means desert flower. When she was five, she suffered mutilation in the form of infibulation. At the age of thirteen, she fled through the desert to Mogadishu in order to escape an arranged marriage to a 60-year-old man. She first stayed there with relatives, although her escape was not tolerated.
One of her uncles, who was then Somali ambassador to the United Kingdom, was looking for a maid. With the help of her aunt, she convinced her uncle to hire her and take her to London, where she worked at her uncle's house for little pay. After her uncle's four-year term, Dirie left and lived in a number of unstable housing arrangements, later renting a room in a YMCA. She earned her living as a cleaner in a local McDonald's. She also began evening classes to learn English.
Aged 18, Dirie was by chance discovered by photographer Mike Goss, as she stood waiting for her charge outside of his daughter's school. Through getting the children to translate for them, Mike persuaded Waris to model for him. Afterwards, he helped her get a portfolio together and get her representation, although a lot of modelling agencies claimed there was 'no call for black models'. One of her first modelling jobs was for Terence Donovan, who photographed her in 1987 together with the then still unknown model Naomi Campbell for the title of the Pirelli Calendar. From there, Dirie's modeling career took off, she soon became a successful model, appearing in advertisements for top brands such as Chanel, Levi's, L'Oréal and Revlon.

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