French model Aymeline Valade has emerged as this season's most coveted newcomer landing three Fall/Winter campaigns for Kenzo, Just Cavalli and Etro photographed by Mario Sorrenti, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, and Mario Testino respectively. At age twenty six, Valade's success may come as a surprise to many given that most newcomers are barely shy of their teens. Valade's breakthrough occurred during the Fall/Winter 2011 collections in New York when Alexander Wang selected her to open his show. What followed was a deluge of runway bookings in Milan and Paris for the likes of Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton for which she closed. Valade has since made an indelible mark editorial-wise in blue chip publications including W, Interview, Numero, the Journal, i-D Magazine and German Vogue.
Valade along with Arizona Muse and Saskia de Brauw represent a shift in modelling's aesthetic toward models with life experience, a defined sense of self and purpose, and above all with personality. More than just a pretty face, Valade is an inquisitive woman who is clearly at one with her body, having trained for years in classical ballet. Valade details in an interview with the Cut that "I was scouted multiple times at multiple ages, but due to school and lack of interest I never pursued it. When I was 23, I went to Paris and was interning at a communications agency. Every day I passed by an agency and they scouted me. I did a few jobs with them but left after my internship was over. I eventually signed with Women Paris when my old agent from the agency became my manager and the rest is history."
Valade's striking individual looks are accentuated by an insightful mind and serene nature, adding in the interview with the Cut that "Happiness is a state. It is not something you think about, but something you are. The best thing to do is to just enjoy every situation as much as you can, the less you think about it, the better." Valade to me represents a backlash against the past few years of android-like pre-pubescent models predominantly from Eastern European block countries. Valade possesses the looks and personality to inspire photographers and designers to allow models to project their own personality onto the runway and editorial pages.
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| A new era of Supermodel The Journal - S/S 2011 Photographer - Hugh Lippe Source - models.com |
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| German Vogue - May 2011 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - models.com |
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| Arizona Muse & Aymeline Valade W Magazine - March 2011 Photographer - Steven Meisel Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| German Vogue - May 2011 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - models.com |
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| Aymeline Valade & Alla Kostromichova i-D Magazine - April 2011 Photographer - Josh Olins Source - models.com |
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| Aymeline Valade & Clement Chabernaud Kenzo - F/W 2011 Photographer - Mario Sorrenti Source - models.com |
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| Aymeline Valade & Andres Risso Etro - F/W 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino Source - models.com |
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| Aymeline Valade & Stelios Niakaris Just Cavalli - F/W 2011 Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott Source - models.com |
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| Alexander Wang - S/S 2011 Photographer - Craig McDean Source - thefashionspot.com |