Modeling Journey

V Spain highlights the newest faces in modelling for its June 2011 feature entitled "Back to School." Codie Young, Maud Welzen, Kate King, Ruby Aldridge and Marique Schimmel pose for Terry Tsiolis and demonstrate why they are currently under the radar of the most influential casting directors, photographers and magazine editors. Young, Welzen, Schimmel, King et al. eclipsed the competition at the recent Fall/Winter 2011 shows and are only just beginning to convert that exposure into real editorial and campaign traction. Schimmel appears in the latest D&G campaign shot by Mario Testino, and King features alongside established models Liu Wen, Isabeli Fontana and Constance Jablonski in the Dolce Gabbana Campaign lensed by Steven Klein.

Models from the past, present and future, team up with photographer Scott Trindle for an exhibition of portraits to mark the opening of Viva Model Management's London office. The exhibition currently showing at the Rochelle School of Art in London, features Viva's superstar models and budding hopefuls in a series of paired-back, black and white portraits. The exhibit entitled "Untouched" takes the audience up-close-and-personal with established names including Natalia Vodianova, Kristy Hume, Raquel Zimmerman, Edita Vilkevicuite, and relative newcomers, Codie Young, Jessica Clarke and Emily Baker, amongst others, in a series of untouched images. With minimal make-up and styling, the uniqueness and natural beauty of each model is magnified ten-fold. 

In an interview with vogue.com, Trindle asserts that "It doesn't scare me that the images aren't retouched, it adds another layer of interest and intrigue... The fear that surrounds an untouched image is quite amazing - and again I'm no martyr. So much can be adapted in post, and so I suppose the main benefit is purity." Viva's director Natalie Hand adds that "His images stood out because it is just so interesting to see the girls like that: he shot them with no additional hair, make-up and styling. They were shot exactly as they were in person, exactly how they were when they walked through his door. And they looked really beautiful. The blemishes added to their charm. And you could definitely learn something about the model's real character from the pictures."

At the recent Fall/Winter 2011 shows, Australia emerged as a veritable goldmine for modelling talent with a slew of new Aussie models dominating the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris. According to Wayne Sterling, the co-founder and editorial director of models.com, "clearly the modelling industry has fixated on Australia and New Zealand as an incredible new source for emerging faces. The results of great scouting speak for themselves and now Down Under stands as a Top 3 scouting resource alongside Holland and Russia."

Leading the Australian charge were established Australian models Abbey Lee Kershaw, Ajak Deng, Julia Nobis, Myf Shepherd, Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Annaleise Smith, Alice Burdeu and Lauren Smith. Newcomers Dempsey Stewart, Codie Young, Ruby Jean Wilson, Rose Smith, and Lydia Willemina Collins eclipsed the competition by landing exclusives left, right and centre, appearing in only the most blue chip of shows. Here is my rundown of five of modelling's most exciting new prospects.

Discovered while working in her mother's tattoo parlour, Sydney-sider Lydia Willemina Collins is represented by Ford Models and is of Dutch and Indonesian extraction. Collins has a cool, androgynous look that is as beguiling as her spectacular bone structure and piercing green eyes. Collins scored a Givenchy exclusive at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows.

Sunshine Coast beauty Codie Young amassed a staggering 39 shows in her debut season walking for  the likes of Chanel, Lanvin and Roberto Cavalli. Discovered at the age of sixteen whilst shopping with friends in April 2010, Young was swiftly signed to DNA Models in New York and landed a six month Australian Vogue exclusive. Young is now based in New York and lives with fellow DNA models Maud Welzen, Emily Baker and Jessica Clarke.

Hailing from Perth, Rose Smith of Next Models logged runway mileage at Chanel and Fendi and has already been photographed by Daniele Duella & Iango Henzi for V Magazine. In an interview for the Vine, Smith reveals that "I'm waiting for my American visa to be approved, and I'll be moving to NYC as soon as it is. In the meantime I am going to Paris to shoot an editorial. I'm definitely ready to make the move..."

Elite's Ruby Jean Wilson landed a trio of exclusives, appearing at Olivier Theyskens Theory in New York, at Giles Deacon in London and at Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, the latter for which she opened. Seventeen year old, Scottish-born Wilson caught the attention of casting directors Ashley Brokaw and Katie Grand, and is destined for a killer show season come September.

It was Perth's Dempsey Stewart who was the standout star of the Fall/Winter 2011 shows, walking in a total of 41 shows including Prada, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Represented by Wilhelmina Models in New York, Eighteen year old Stewart was discovered in a local modelling competition and modelled extensively in Tokyo before her career took off internationally.

After a succession of Brazilian, Beglian, Russian, and Dutch models, it appears that Australians could very well be riding high on the next wave of models set to infiltrate the modelling world. In the agency show packages released in the lead up to the Fall/Winter 2011 shows, Australians feature prominently, with 7 out of the 25 models presented in the official Elite Models show package being Australian.

Established Australian models Catherine McNeil and Abbey Lee Kershaw are not officially slated to appear at New York Fashion Week but will be duly represented by emerging talents; Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Julia Nobis, Ajak Deng, Alice Burdeu, Tallulah Morton, Amanda Ware, Myf Shepherd, Lauren Brown, Annaleise Smith, Ruby Jean Wilson, Melissa Johannsen aka MJ, and Codie Young. This is just the tip of the iceberg with fellow Antipodean models; Stephanie Cherry, Samantha Harris, Juliana Forge, Meg Lindsay, Rachel Rutt, Stephanie Carta and Alexandra Agoston O'Connor yet to be confirmed for appearances during the Fall/Winter show season.

According to influential US casting director Ashley Brokaw in an interview with the New York Times, "Thing's are steering away from the army casting we've seen in recent years." With the focus shifting towards personality and individuality, models like Abbey Lee Kershaw who possess a quirkiness and an unaffected, natural beauty that is endearing, are positioned to do well. There is no doubt that Australian models will feature prominently throughout the Fall/Winter 2011 shows, the question that remains however is which models will garner the attention of the all important fashion editors, photographers and stylists?