Nekalah murray

With an inspiring level of confidence and a runway walk to match, 18-yearold Nekalah Murray is your VI Model of the Year 2023. A senior at the St.Croix Educational Complex High School, Nekalah is a lover of shopping and traveling…

WHO IS THE PERSON YOU LOOK UP TO THE MOST, AND WHY?

I look up to my mom; she is the strongest and most compassionate person I know. My mom is a nurse and has always strives to support other people and make a positive difference to the lives of those around her. I think if I can even be half the person she is, then I will have succeeded in life.

DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY WITH JG MANAGEMENT?

My journey with JG management was and is always going to be a wonderful journey and success journey to me.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED SINCE PURSUING MODELLING?

Practice good posture and poise: A professional model must have excellent posture and poise. Stand tall, walk with confidence, and learn how to move gracefully in different types of clothing and shoes. Make your accomplishments known. Don’t let your lack of knowledge about a subject or others’ lack of confidence in you hold you back. If you can see yourself doing something, you have won more than half the battle. If you can see yourself as successful, others will see you that way.

WHAT KIND OF OBSTACLES DID YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME TO COMPETE FOR VI MODEL OF THE YEAR?

I did not really have any obstacles to overcome for competing for VI MODEL OF THE YEAR.

WHICH SUPERMODEL(S) DO YOU IDOLIZE AND WHY?

Naomi Campbell has had a significant influence on the fashion industry throughout her career. As one of the first black models to achieve supermodel status, she broke barriers and opened doors for models of color.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT MODELLING?

Modeling can be an exciting career with many benefits, including travel opportunities, flexible hours and access to the latest fashion trends. When beginning their careers, models often complete interviews through modeling agencies or fashion companies.

DO YOU HAVE OTHER CAREER ASPIRATIONS?

My other career aspirations are being in the criminology field because I just love the thrill of it.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY MAKES A MODEL A GOOD ONE?

Great models need to be able to express emotion on demand, with very little cues from the photographer/director. They need to know their angles, be versatile, moldable and unabashed.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE MODELLING INDUSTRY?

The modeling industry in particular can be a challenging place to try to establish and grow a career. The pressures faced by models can lead to a number of mental health issues, including eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, with little assistance available in the industry for addressing them.

TO DATE, WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST PICTUREPERFECT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?

Winning VI CHILD MODEL of the Year in 2016 was my most picture perfect moment in my life.

IN YOUR MIND, WHAT DOES YOUR DREAM CAREER LOOK LIKE?

Signed to a good agency in New York City that believes in me, become a Top runway and editorial model working for major designers and brands as well as working overseas for Paris, London and Milan Fashion Week.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE YOUR AGE WHO IS INTERESTED IN PURSUING MODELLING?

Confidence in the workplace is one trait that sets role models apart from their peers. Confidence is important because it improves job performances, enhances communication and results in stronger decision-making. Even if you don’t feel particularly confident, it’s an easy skill to work on.

Felisha Noel never enters a Fashion Week unless there is something definitive to relay to the masses through her collections and for NYFW2022 she continued her tradition of imbuing her apparel with messages that resonate throughout the cultural and socio-economic fabrics of our lives. Her passion for creating womenswear that speaks volumes is further illuminated by what she brings to the table as a Caribbean artist that celebrates her Grenadian heritage by keeping it central and centered throughout each collection with designs targeted at phenomenal women with an elevated sense of style.

AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS BEGAN MORE THAN A DECADE AGO…

Rare is the Black artist that become an instant phenomenon, and Felisha Noel is no exception. Paying her dues through a number of collaborations before opening her eponymous label Fe Noel, it was her daily interactions with the entrepreneurial spirit that resides in her blood that motivated and inspired her to carry on even when the odds were decidedly against her.

Since making a splash into womenswear back in 2011, Fe Noel has enjoyed critical success as a brand unabashedly embracing femininity and the thoroughly modern woman. Realizing that women of today are multifaceted and more inclined to reside between both traditions old and emerging, the label represents its designer’s own parallels as an independent Black woman living outside the box in unapologetic style.

The self-taught designer has forged her own singular line by fusing the best parts of her multicultural roots and weaving them into an undeniably sophisticated cornucopia of ebullient style that has seen her passions become a reality through hard work, determination, and a being in the right place at the right time. After creating waves at Harlem’s Fashion Row as a protégé, the attention awarded Noel the chance to co-design basketball icon LeBron James’ first women’s sneaker for Nike.