Element of Surprise

Whilst it's always lovely to see established models like Natasha Poly, Karmen Pedaru, and Raquel Zimmermann booking campaign after campaign each season, every now and then it's nice to see casting directors taking a leap of faith in a newcomer. Valentino's campaign shot by the amazing Deborah Turbeville, features four of modellings up-and-coming talent; Bette Franke, Fei Fei Sun, Maud Welzen and Zuzanna Bijoch. Turbeville's enigmatic photographic style perfectly captures the romanticism and mysterious ethereal-like beauty of Valentino's Spring/Summer 2012 collection. Each of the four models is uniquely beautiful and possesses that indefinable star quality that is campaign worthy.

Maud Welzen, Zuzanna Bijoch, Bette Franke & Fei Fei Sun
Valentino - S/S 2012
Photographer - Deborah Turbeville
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Hervé Leger enlists photographer Camilla Akrans to capture the exquisite beauty of former America's Next Top Model alumni Fatima Siad for its Spring/Summer 2012 campaign. Siad looks every bit the warrior goddess in a gladiator inspired bandeau dress whilst posing alongside a white horse. The Somali-Ethiopian model has more than earnt her stripes, having branched out on her own in the modelling world, turning heads at the recent Spring/Summer 2012 collections with appearances at Hermés, Dries Van Noten, and Andrew Gn.

Fatima Siad
Hervé Leger - S/S 2012
Photographer - Camilla Akrans
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Chinese newcomer Xiao Wen Ju scores the campaign coup of the season with an only girl slot for Marc Jacobs. The designer enlists twenty year old Wen Ju to be the first Chinese campaign star for the prestigious label. The Xian native represented by IMG Model Management has been modelling for only a year and has already appeared in Love, American Vogue, French Revue de Modes, V Magazine and Interview. Wen Ju's wide set eyes, doll-like features and petite frame bring a freshness and an element of surprise to the Juergen Teller lensed campaign images. Wen Ju was hard not to notice at the Spring/Summer 2012 collections where she walked for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Dsquared2, Missoni, Anteprima, DKNY, Rag & Bone, 3.1 Philip Lim, Cushnie et Ochs , Peter Som and of course, Marc Jacobs.

Xiao Wen Ju
Marc Jacobs - S/S 2012
Photographer - Juergen Teller
Source - models.com

Swiss Gold

Swiss newcomer Julia Saner has been making serious forays in the modelling world since her impressive debut at the Spring/Summer 2011 shows in Milan and Paris where she logged a total of 21 shows. Proving that she is here for the long-haul, Saner had an equally stellar Fall/Winter 2011 season appearing in a staggering 47 shows. 

Saner was discovered in 2009 when she competed in and won the Elite Look of the Year competition. What differentiates Saner however from the relentless influx of newcomers, is her presence and versatile appeal which hark back to the days of the supermodels of the nineties. Saner possesses an impossibly gorgeous face in the classic sense and an equally athletic, powerhouse physique.

Industry insiders are unanimous in their enthusiasm for Saner with appearances in US Vogue, Vogue Italia and W Magazine shot by Mario Testino, Steven Meisel and photographic duo Knoepfel & Indlekofer. Saner's appeal translates seamlessly into campaign dollars with blue chip campaigns for Valentino and Mulberry lensed by David Sims and Tim Walker respectively. With Saner no gimmicks are required. What you have simply is an astoundingly beautiful girl with just the right mix of wholesomeness and va-va-voom to appeal to both high fashion and commercial end clients.

Photographer - Unknown
Source - models.com

Numero - February 2011
Photographer - Greg Kadel
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Ford Models Show Package F/W 2011
Photographer - Paul Rowland
Source - models.com

Vogue Nippon - June 2011
Photographer - Ben Weller
Source - thefashionspot.com

Julia Saner & Jacquelyn Jablonski
W Magazine - March 2011
Photographer - Knoepfel & Indlekofer
Source - models.com

Vogue Nippon - June 2011
Photographer - Ben Weller
Source - thefashionspot.com

Valentino - Spring/Summer 2011
Photographer - David Sims
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Julia Saner, Anna de Rijk, Frida Gustavsson & Jac Jagaciak
US Vogue - February 2011
Photographer - Mario Testino
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Industrie - Issue 3
Photographer - Sharif Hamza
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Vogue Italia - March 2011
Photographer - Steven Meisel
Source - thefashionspot.com

Vogue Turkey - June 2011
Photographer - Ahmet Polat
Source - fashiongonerogue.com

Fall/Winter 2011 New Faces Roberta Narciso

Seventeen year old Angolan model Roberta Narciso was discovered in 2010 at the Elite Model Look of the Year Competition where she placed in the top fifteen finalists. Narciso made a stunning debut at the recent Spring/Summer 2011 Haute Couture shows in Paris, where she glided down the runways for Valentino and Bouchra Jarrar. Represented by Elite Models in Paris, Narciso's career is being guided with meticulous precision. Narciso skipped the New York and London show circuits, opting instead to make her Fall/Winter 2011 debut in Milan. The buzz generated has been worth the wait with Narciso walking for Prada, Albino, Brioni, Angelo Marani, Ermanno Scervino and Gareth Pugh. Standing at 181 cm in height with a face that is reminiscent of the legendary late Naomi Sims, Narciso could well be the next great pioneer for diversity in modelling. Next stop Paris!

Roberta Narciso
Image courtesy of Elite Paris
Source - thefashionspot.com

Black & White
Image courtesy of Elite Paris
Source - thefashionspot.com

Prada F/W 2011
Photographer - Monica Feudi

Valentino Haute Couture S/S 2011
Photographer - Umberto Fratini

Bouchra Jarrar Haute Couture S/S 2011
Photographer - Alessandro Viero

Gareth Pugh F/W 2011
Photographer - Monica Feudi

Brioni F/W 2011
Photographer - Marcus Tondo

Albino F/W 2011
Photographer - Marcus Tondo
All runway images courtesy of style.com