June 2009

Model Venture Magazine June 2009

Rachael Williams Nadia Kake Inga

Perspective On

Vogue Italia's Black Issue

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A Black Issue....p. 16

Model Stories: Rachael Williams....p. 10 Nadia............p. 20 Kake.............p. 26 Inga............p. 44 FRONT COVER: MODEL - RACHAEL WILLIAMS MUA- CLAIRE DE GRAFT PHOTOGRAPHER- NATALIE WELLBECK

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Cover Girl Rachael Photographer - Joanna Briggs

Rachael Williams was born in London, England and has live there all her life. Rachael says "Modeling has not always been my dream, as

I've always talked about becoming a school teacher . But around the age of 14, many people would stop me in the streets and say that 'you should be a model'. My parents suggested

that I stay in school and if I wanted to be a model I could do that when I graduated.

However, I heard about an agency that was looking for new models, so I went along and did a test shoot. My parents did not want me to do it, so I had to save for about 4 weeks to get ÂŁ100 to register.

A few weeks later, once I had paid my registration fee and I tried contacting the agency for my pictures but there never was any answer. I went to the office only to find that the agency never existed!! It was all a scam just to get my money! So i decided to listen to my parents and continue with school.

I did a few college fashion shows and shoots for friends and then realized how much I loved walking down the runway and posing for the camera. I saw an ad in the newspaper for a beauty Pageant and decided to go along to the casting. Amongst over 700 girls, I was picked to be in the final 20. I was so excited, as I never believed that I would make it to the finals. Throughout the competition, I found that competing at that level with 20 girls was definitely challenging!!! But I still fought through it and came out winning the pageant and being crowned Miss Black Britain 2006.

Winning this definitely opened the doors for me. I presented awards at The MOBO'S and The Dance Off Awards. I also got my first fashion spread in Aspire Magazine and Pride Magazine. I was also a columnist for Black Hair and Beauty Magazine, and an Ambassador for Revlon's Nairobi project 2006. I was also entered in the Miss England Finals and successfully made it into the final 15 out of 92 girls.

Afterwards, I decided to go back to school. I was studying for my degree in Psychology, so I put

Photographer - Natalie Wellbeck

modeling on hold to further my studies. Since then, I have been working with amazing photographers, designers and make up artists. 99% of the work that I get is freelance, as I am not signed to an agency as of yet. But this has taught me how to be independent, wise and my own manager.

I recently walked in London Fashion Week and my biggest achievement yet is appearing in the Vogue magazine twice. I recently did a shoot for Nokia and travelled to Miami for an on location swimwear shoot.

Modeling is amazing and I plan to continue to make my mark in this wonderful industry.

Photographer - Natalie Wellbeck

-Winner of Miss Black Britain 2006 -Final 15 in Miss England 2007 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;10â&#x20AC;?

34-25-36 Black hair Brown eyes Dress size: 8 UK Shoe size: 9

A Black Issue

A Black Issue

Model: Naomi Campbell

B

ack in July of 2008, Vogue Italia

developed a magazine issue with all black models. Franca Sozzani, Vogue Italia's editor and Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high fashion priestess, provided her endorsement, making the itthe first ever "all-Black" issue. It featured only black models and black-related subject matter. Sozzani said her decision was influenced by Barack Obama's success in the US presidential primaries.

More than 100 pages of the issue, including the cover, featured images of black women taken by the acclaimed New York based photographer Steven Meisel. Meisel

Model: Liya Kebede

photographed several of the black fashion world's biggest names for the issue, including Naomi Campbell, Iman, Tyra Banks, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn, Alek Wek and Pat Cleveland.

Meisel said:

"I thought, it's ridiculous, this discrimination.

It's so crazy to live in such a narrow, narrow place. Age, weight, sexuality, race - every kind of prejudice. I have asked my advertising clients so many times, 'Can we use a black girl?' They say no."

Model: Sessile lopez , Photo: Patrick McMullen

The magazine was a big success to say the least.

The original run of the July issue sold out in the U.S. and U.K. in 72 hours. Vogue Italia then rushed to reprint 30,000 extra copies for American newsstands, another 10,000 for Britain and 20,000 more in Italy. And it doesn’t end there. In the first quarter of 2009, 10,000 freshly printed copies of

the July edition were shipped to newsstands.

Ebay sellers are trying to re-sell them at $45 a piece. How does this weigh-in historically? Well, the all-black issue is the first in Condé Nast’s history to actaully have to be reprinted to satisfy demand.

American Vogue Model: Liya Kebede Model: Waris Dirie issued a response by featuring some black models in it’s July 2008 issue but is fell short of the Italian sister, in

terms of sales volume. Aelenis Sosa Pena is one of the lovely models featured in the American version.

Unfortunately, while this historical black issue was a phenomenal success, it may have been so because of the fact that it was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;firstâ&#x20AC;?, more so than being about the black models inside. Ad sales were up a historical 30 percent for this issue, even though many of those same advertisers stuck with white models in their ads. But the fact that fashion leaders like Sozzani and Meisel have the strength of conviction to challenge the status quo, represents hope for a more diverse representation of goods and services by different types of models in the future.

Model: Liya Kebede, Photo: Robert Maxwell Model: Arelenis Sosa Pena

Photo by Johnny Vo

Nadia

Nadia was born and raised in Lake

Photo by Yvette Hammond

Como, a small town on the border with Italy and Switzerland.

She had a complicated childhood and never fit in with the other kids so she found comfort in music and got into the punkrock scene at the age 16.

Music and drawing were always her passion. She went to the fashion stylist/illustrator school in Como; but beside the lake and the healthy lifestyle, there was not so much to do there.

Eventually she moved to Milan to live in a bigger city where she started working on her projects. She is a singer-songwriter and also started working in the entertainment industry as a host for a rock music television.

Photo by Mark Leibowitz

It was a lot of fun but something was still missing.

Modeling wasn’t really in the plans, until she moved out to Los Angeles at the beginning of 2007 to work on her music record “Bad Story”; and got some offers for a few modeling jobs, which opened her mind to a possible new career.

Photo by Mason Foster

Along with music and art, she’s building her portfolio, website and work relationships.

She says “modeling sucked at first, because Los Angeles is so crazy and without your family & friends always there to support you, you can get lost. Plus LA is really another planet! You have to learn a new language and culture. It’s just easy to feel lost and alone.”

But step by step she created her own position using her fashion knowledge and computer skills.

She’s a totally computer addict Photo by Mark Leibowitz

and internet is now - she’s great at using the computer for social networking and finding jobs.

Nadia’s work experience extends from modeling for clothing lines, commercials, music videos, film and TV. She recently worked as the Italian host for E! Entertainment, an I-phone application commercial, a music video for the movie Underworld 3 and quite a few Armenian and Persian artists. She is also modeling for the tv show “Split Ends” on Style Network.

Busy, happy model!

More info and full resume available on her website: www.nadiagotshot.com About Music and Art visit www.nadialanfranconi.com

5’7” 110 lb.

Brown hair Hazel eyes Dress size: 2 Shoe size: 8.5

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Kake

Photo: John Fisher

M

"

y name is Kake, I am the middle of 5

boys and girls ..I grew up in Miami and then decided to move to Milano Italy. I got a contract with a modeling agency there.

After that, I was transferred to China doing shows from Hermes to Dior in

Photo: Robin Basile

Beijing and Shanghai.

Modeling overseas is amazing!

I was identified for modeling my mother, or course. She model. She was right. My her of a jellyfish and my legs tentacles. She's lovable.

when I was 3 days old! By thought I hould be a mother says I reminded were the dangling

Fashion and music has always and through fashion I have musicians whom I have been producing some amazing in London! I have done many stands out most to me was supermodel and dear friend Miami fashion week, then

been a huge part of my life, met a lot of amazing able to work with, sounds. I started all of this shows but the show that getting to walk down with Brandi Quinones for landing the cover of Miami

fashion weekly shortly after!

Modelling has allowed me to travel, see amazing places, brilliant people, and always inspired me to have as much FUN as possible."

Photo: John Fisher

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Marta Molska is director.

She is the stylist and make-up artist. And they have

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Gloss wants top to workwith foreign agencies from all of the world. Up to now, the agency has worked in local markets, but the world is getting smaller and clients want more exposure.

Gloss is small and nimble. It has about 15 women and 10 men. They all are ready to go forth and make their way in modeling. Contact Marta directly to discuss overseas modeling opportunities.

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Photo: Anna Fedisz-Pereyra

Inga

Heather

Inga was born in Tallinn, the capital of a small northeastern country in Europe called Estonia, near Finland, south of Helsinki.

Inga talks about her experience modeling:

Photo: anyaf

"I've been interested in fashion industry and traveling since early childhood. I would always partake in school fashion shows, either as a model or a designer. I joined a local modeling agency at the Photo: John Fisher early age of 14 and left to work abroad at the age of 18. After spending couple of summers in the fashion capital - Milan- while attending high school in Estonia for the rest of the year, I decided to devote my time to university studies.

My most memorable job? I remember a job for a magazine editorial in Milan, we were shooting in a garage and we decided I should sit on a sort of a window or an opening in the garage wall. I was wearing really bright outfits: pink tights, green shorts etc and crazy make up. And people just started stopping and staring up while we were shooting. The mixture of my shoot, the sun, the lovely architecture and the people, made it a unique experience; one of those instants where everything is right and you remember that moment forever. It was really great.

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So I went back to school after those summers, but the quiet life wasn't for me and after traveling to Florida, I realized that modeling was what I wanted to do. I am back in New York. I am back in the game and loving it!"

Height: 5' 10" Weight: 125 lbs Measurements: 34-24-36 Shoe size: 8 Hair color: Brown Hair length: Long Eye color: Blue

Photo: John Fisher

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Discoveries of

Matrix Proportions

New models are signed everyday.

The challenge is that few make it big. So when success stories happen, we need to take note. The question is not “was she pretty enough?” because being beautiful is only one component of making it in modeling. The real question is “was she/he prepared”?

Matrix Model Management has been responsible for the discovery of these new models for ’07, who have all been signed to top agencies: Lauren - Ford NY Jennifer - Red Thailand Danny - Elite Atlanta

What do these models all have in common? They were supported, coached and/or walked in by our company, Matrix Model Management (www.matrixmodelsny.com), the same company that publishes this magazine. They understood that gaining insight and knowledge about how to best approach their goal was important; and that the best way to

go about becoming a real model was to talk with one.

We will be featuring them and other models we’ve signed with agencies in coming issues. Their stories will be familiar to you. They are regular people who took the initiative to make it happen; and had the wisdom to ask for help.

Caitlin - Wilhelmina

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ICON LIFE Having been one of the most successful models in the industry; today she chooses to work mostly behind the camera, utilizing decades of skills and tips learned from the masters of high fashion photography.

Louise Vyent is a Dutch model of Surinamese heritage. In the late '80s and early '90s, she was one of the fashion industry's most soughtafter black

supermodels. She also appeared in the 1990 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and Victoria's Secret catalog.

Louise reached the pinnacle of high fashion modeling, supported a family, purchased real estate and cared for family -- all through the wonderful world of modeling. And it was a two-way street. Magazines literally sold out because Louise was on the cover. Products were sold in the millions of dollars as a result.

Today, she is still a Ford model

and does catalog work. She also has her own photography business (www.louisevyent.com).

Louise Vyent is on of our Mentors at Matrix Model Management and we are lucky to have her.

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www.markpfauphotography.com

“Mark Pfau”

Mark Pfau Photography 917 498 2400

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Enrique Vega Photography www.enrique-vega.net

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