Hot on the heels of Saskia de Brauw and Aymeline Valade comes twenty three year old classic French beauty Julia Frauche. Frauche was the standout star of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections in September with "who's that girl" appearances at Calvin Klein, Altuzarra, Jason Wu, Reed Krakoff, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Celine, Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloé, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana and Marni. With a show list that reads like the who's who of the fashion elite, you could be forgiven for assuming that Frauche was yet another overnight modelling success story. Scouted at the age of sixteen in the south of France, Frauche had zero interest in modelling and was focused instead on her education. Upon graduation, Frauche relocated to Paris to attend college and was approached again to model. It was at this time that Frauche chose to give modelling a try.
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| Intermission - December 2011 Photographer - Greg Harris Source - models.com |
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| Dazed & Confused - January 2012 Photographer - Yelena Yemchuk Source - models.com |
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| Intermission - December 2011 Photographer - Greg Harris Source - models.com |
Following five years of grunt modelling, scraping by with commercial editorial work and money jobs to pay the bills, Frauche switched representation to Next Model Management and decided to give the show circuit one final shot. In an interview with the Cut, Frauche explains "I have been doing this job for five years and I was like, "Okay this is my last chance. I'm going to try the shows and this is going to be the last time for me." The gamble paid off, with Frauche charming casting agents and designers with her mature outlook and womanly allure. Dubbed "baby Raquel" by casting agent James Scully for her likeness to Brazilian supermodel Raquel Zimmermann, Frauche is self-effacing in spite of the buzz surrounding her new found success. Speaking again with the Cut, Frauche recalls "This season, everyone was like, "Oh you're baby Raquel." But it's a really good compliment for me; I'm really happy about it because I love her. She's beautiful, and I hear she's nice, too."
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| US Vogue - January 2011 Photographer - Mariano Vivanco Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Julia Frauche & Olivier Rousteing US Vogue - January 2011 Photographer - Mariano Vivanco Source - thefashionspot.com |
Frauche has since landed on the pristine pages of American Vogue, Paris Vogue, German Vogue, Dazed & Confused, Intermission, and French Numero, displaying an insouciance and a versatility that women of all ages can relate to. The recent success stories of models well into their twenties, like Kati Nescher and Frauche, heralds a shift in the fashion paradigm towards models that women can identify with rather than a fifteen year old playing dress-ups. As Frauche reveals succinctly to the Cut, "I was a really shy person when I started, so it took time for me to learn how to communicate with people. I learned by travelling, being by myself all the time. I'm more mature now and I know what I want to do." It is this confidence and innate sense of self, coupled with a beauty that is mesmerising which will have Frauche marked as one of the definitive models of the next generation.
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| US Vogue - February 2012 Photographer - Raymond Meier Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| US Vogue - February 2012 Photographer - Raymond Meier Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Numero - November 2011 Photographer - Liz Collins Source - models.com |
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| Numero - November 2011 Photographer - Liz Collins Source - models.com |