sports illustrated: Estee Lauder

Showing posts with label Estee Lauder. Show all posts

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Rebirth

Puerto Rican native Joan Smalls is patent proof of what stellar model management can do for a models career. The evolution of Smalls has been anything but an "overnight success story". Smalls first came under my radar back in 2008 when I spotted her in Elite's online portfolio of models and in a V Magazine spread on "Powerhouse Model Agencies" which featured Smalls as part of Elite's line-up. At the time, I can recall noting Smalls' promise and wondered why she was being relegated to banal appearances in Liz Claiborne ads, Nordstrom catalogues and less prestigious editorial exposure for the likes of Cosmopolitan. Smalls' runway appearances were limited to smaller shows at New York Fashion week for the likes of Benjamin Cho and Heatherette. Here was an incredibly beautiful girl with stunning features and dimensions, yet her career was stalling before it had even started.

The Last Magazine - F/W 2011
Photographer - Karim Sadli
Source - models.com

Paris Vogue - February 2011
Photographer - Mario Sorrenti
Source - models.com

V Magazine - July 2010
Photographer - Mark Abrahams
Source - models.com

In 2009, Smalls switched representation from Elite to IMG Models and her management team set about revamping her portfolio with new test shots, repositioning her in the market as a classically beautiful girl with a distinct high fashion edge. The time and resources vested in their new protegé paid dividends with Smalls landing a Spring Givenchy couture exclusive in January 2010. Hoping to capitalise on the buzz surrounding Smalls' Givenchy exclusive, IMG set about promoting Smalls to the hilt, sending her on a round of go-sees to a wide-cross section of casting directors and stylists including Andrew Weir, Russell Marsh, Michelle Lee, Karl Templer and Melanie Huynh. Backed by a management team who recognised her true potential, Smalls delivered the goods, booking Anna Sui, Prada, Burberry, Gucci, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent amongst others in her pivotal breakthrough Fall/Winter 2010 show season.

Industrie Magazine
Photographer - Rachel Chandler
Source - industrie.nowmanifest.com

Smalls is now indisputably one of the fashion industry's most coveted faces, appearing regularly in blue chip publications including all international editions of Vogue, V Magazine, W, i-D Magazine, and in campaigns for Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and the GAP. In early 2011, Smalls reached the pinnacle of any model's career by signing a lucrative cosmetics contract with Estee Lauder, becoming a spokesperson and global ambassador for the cosmetics giant. Smalls success is a testament to her hard work ethic, perseverance, charming personality and to her management team at IMG. In an interview with the T Magazine, Smalls is asked whom in the (modelling) industry she most identifies with, to which she replies tellingly, "models who have worked their way to an admirable career and have taken their time to get there."

Thierry Mugler - S/S 2012
Photographer - Filippo Fior

Max Mara - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Gucci - S/S 2012
Photographer - Monica Feudi

Carolina Herrera - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Hakaan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Marcus Tondo

Donna Karan - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos

Givenchy - S/S 2012
Photographer - Yannis Vlamos
All runway images courtesy of style.com

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

New Model Army

W Magazine profiles three of modelling newest stars in a beauty feature entitled "A Model U.N". Emily Baker, Sui He and Joan Smalls are photographed by dynamic duo Daniele Duella and Iango Henzi in a series of smouldering black and white portraits.

Seventeen year old New Zealander Emily Baker had a killer debut season at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows where she appeared in a staggering total of 60 shows. Baker was the name on every designer and major casting director's watch list and is about to parlay her runway traction into major editorial overdrive. Standing at 177 cm in height and blessed with incredible bone structure and a beguiling presence, Baker is simply the complete package.

Emily Baker
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
W Magazine - June 2011

Sui He hails from Whenzhou and is the latest modelling export to come out of China. Discovered four years ago in a modelling competition, He made history at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows by being the first model of Asian descent to open for Ralph Lauren. He possesses a versatile beauty that can veer from edgy androgynous one moment to sultry bombshell the next. Blessed with elegant, long limbs and exquisite features, He is likely to be a long-distance contender.

Sui He
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
W Magazine - June 2011

Puerto Rican native Joan Smalls is already a bonafide modelling star having signed on with Estee Lauder in December 2010 as a spokesmodel. Whilst Smalls undoubtedly has the all important physical attributes and beauty to succeed, it is her personality, eloquence and professionalism that are fast earning her accolades in fashion circles. Smalls is a firm favourite with US Vogue, V Magazine, Italia Vogue and Paris Vogue and has appeared in three consecutive Gucci campaigns.

Joan Smalls
Photographer - Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi
W Magazine - June 2011
Source - models.com

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Class Act

Following more than ten years in the modelling industry, Liya Kebede remains at the top of her game. Born in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, Kebede was discovered by a film director at the French Lycee in Addis. Kebede put modelling plans on hold to complete her schooling before moving to Paris, followed by Chicago and finally New York where her true modelling potential was realised.

Kebede's first big break came in 2000, when casting director James Scully cast her in the Gucci Fall/Winter show. In an interview with I-D magazine, Kebede recalls, "The day that changed my life would have been doing the Gucci show with Tom Ford. He (Scully) saw me at a show and called me in because he thought that Tom would really like me. I was super nervous. But he was really lovely and we ended up working together for a long time after that. Editors saw me, started calling and I started working." Scully in turn lists Kebede as one of his all-time favourite models in an interview for the Cut; "An all-time eternal favourite for me - she's an exotic Grace Kelly. Models work for years to develop the poise, grace, and style that she came to the business already equipped with! It still shocks me that I sometimes have to sell her to a client, but everytime she walks in the room, she always proves me right."

In 2002, Paris Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld dedicated an entire issue of the magazine to Kebede. Speaking to I-D magazine, Kebede cites that "the magazine made such an impact. I appreciate Carine for having done something so bold." In 2003, Kebede made further inroads, becoming the first woman of African descent to sign a highly coveted cosmetics contract with Estee Lauder, reportedly worth $3 million. Aerin Lauder explains Liya's appeal in an interview with US Vogue; "We didn't just hire her because she is beautiful. We loved Liya because she has so many facets to her personality. People are finally realising that she's a spectacular individual. She has big things ahead of her."

In May 2005, Kebede achieved a rare feat by appearing solo on the cover of US Vogue with the headline "Cover model with a cause." The accompanying feature article on Kebede, profiled her work with the World Health Organisation as their Goodwill Ambassador and her efforts to raise awareness for the difficulties facing women and children in third world countries. In the Editor's letter, Anna Wintour states, "It's very gratifying that Kebede, who has long been a model of the highest rank, should come into her own this way. This is her moment, and it has not arrived by virtue of outsize fabulousness. She is beautiful, professional, and substantial, which makes her not just a model but a role model."

As a maternal health advocate, Kebede set up the Liya Kebede Foundation, a movement dedicated to reducing maternal and infant mortality in developing countries. In 2007, Kebede created a sustainable line of children and women's clothing called Lemlem meaning to bloom in Amharic, with the clothing being produced by traditional Ethiopian craftsman and weavers. In an interview for US Vogue, Kebede explains; "We're employing them so they can be self-sufficient, so they can send their children to school or rise from poverty. It's always better to teach people to sustain themselves."

In recent years, Kebede has discovered another passion in acting, appearing in smaller roles in the Lord of the War with Nicholas Cage and The Good Shepherd with Robert De Niro. It is her performance however in the Desert Flower playing the lead role based on the life story of model Waris Dirie, which is earning Kebede international acclaim. The film's arc follows the triumphs of Dirie's modelling success to the devastating effects of female genital mutilation which Dirie underwent as a child. Kebede's performance has been critically lauded with her being awarded the Chopard trophy at the Cannes Film Festival. The Chopard award was created in 2001 in order to celebrate the talents of the two young actors called the male and female revelation of the year. Previous recipients of the award have been Marion Cotillard, Audrey Tatou, and Gael Garcia Bernal. Kebede is currently filming Black Gold alongside Antonio Banderas and Freida Pinto.

Liya Kebede is without a doubt my all time favourite model. Her advertising campaigns for Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Givenchy, Dolce Gabbana, and Louis Vuitton are timeless and breathtakingly beautiful, whilst her covers and editorial appearances for US Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, W Magazine, Numero and I-D are amongst my favourites. It is however Kebede's contributions beyond the world of fashion which set her apart and make her truly memorable.