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Showing posts with label Ford Models. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ford Models. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Estonian born Karmen Pedaru began modelling in 2005 after being scouted whilst at a theatre performance in her hometown of Tallinn. Pedaru was formerly an elite athlete competing for the Estonian national soccer team prior to being discovered. Pedaru has since hung up her soccer training boots for the equally rigorous runway circuit where she is now a permanent fixture. Pedaru's modelling career has been gradually building momentum and following more than six years in the industry, is set to hit overdrive. Pedaru is a firm favourite with Paris Vogue and British Vogue, and recently landed her first Vogue covers for the Portuguese and Greek editions of the publication. Pedaru also starred recently alongside Joan Smalls in Gucci's Spring/Summer 2011 campaign lensed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott and appears in the current Fall/Winter 2011 campaign for Michael Kors shot by Mario Testino.
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| Photographer - Unknown Source - bellazon.com |
As a former athlete, Karmen compares her career to sport; stating that, "Modelling is kind of like a sport. You need a lot of endurance and focus." In an interview with Michal Figurski for reserved-fashion.blogspot, Pedaru elaborates "In this business you can't afford to be tired. It's really hard work. I fly about three times a week, yesterday I was in NYC, today I'm in Poland, tomorrow I'm flying to Paris. If I don't keep my energy and enthusiasm, I'll drop out. There's no work for tired models." Pedaru's sporting background puts her in good stead, "I played as a goal keeper for 6 years. I was well-built back then. You can still see my muscles here and there. I'm still quite fit, I play basket ball and roller skate."
As one of the most industrious and down-to-earth models in the industry, I am delighted to see Pedaru's strong work ethic paying dividends. Represented by Ford Models in New York, this statuesque 178 cm tall, olive green eyed beauty remains grounded in spite of her success. In the same interview for reserved-fashion.blogspot, Figurski poses the question; "Does being beautiful make life easier?", to which Pedaru replies, "It's a question of personality. If you're beautiful on the inside, then yes. Being beautiful only on the outside, you're nobody. I sense such people at first glance. There are many people like this in every business."
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| British Vogue - March 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino Source - models.som |
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| Numero - May 2008 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| i-D Magazine - September 2008 Photographer - Pierre Bailly Source - nymag.com |
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| Paris Vogue - July 2011 Photographer - Cedric Buchet Source - models.com |
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| Purple Magazine - S/S 2009 Photographer - Mario Sorrenti Source - models.com |
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| Paris Vogue - February 2011 Photographer - Paolo Kudacki Source - models.com |
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| British Vogue - May 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino Source - nymag.com |
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| Interview - August 2011 Photographer - Fabien Baron Source - models.com |
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| Karmen Pedaru & Karlie Kloss British Vogue - August 2010 Photographer - Daniel Jackson Source - models.com |
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| W Magazine - March 2010 Photographer - Mario Sorrenti Source - nymag.com |
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| Numero - March 2010 Photographer - Solve Sundsbo Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Costume National - S/S 2010 Photographer - Glen Luchford Source - models.com |
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| Gucci - S/S 2011 Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott Source - bellazon.com |
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| Russh Magazine - April 2009 Photographer - Simon Burstall Source - models.ocm |
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| Michael Kors - S/S 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino Source - models.com |
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| W Magazine - July 2009 Photographer - Claudia Knoepfel & Stefan Indlekofer Source - nymag.com |
Sunday, 26 June 2011
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.
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| Photographer - Unknown Source - models.com |
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| Numero - February 2011 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
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| Ford Models Show Package F/W 2011 Photographer - Paul Rowland Source - models.com |
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| Vogue Nippon - June 2011 Photographer - Ben Weller Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Julia Saner & Jacquelyn Jablonski W Magazine - March 2011 Photographer - Knoepfel & Indlekofer Source - models.com |
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| Vogue Nippon - June 2011 Photographer - Ben Weller Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Valentino - Spring/Summer 2011 Photographer - David Sims Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
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| Julia Saner, Anna de Rijk, Frida Gustavsson & Jac Jagaciak US Vogue - February 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
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| Industrie - Issue 3 Photographer - Sharif Hamza Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
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| Vogue Italia - March 2011 Photographer - Steven Meisel Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Vogue Turkey - June 2011 Photographer - Ahmet Polat Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Argentinian beauty Dafne Cejas has been on my radar since she emerged on the modelling scene as a worldwide exclusive at the Givenchy Fall/Winter 2010 show. Cejas has an androgynous-like beauty which is disarmingly unconventional and rare. Blessed with high sculpted cheek bones, a low brow, angular features and heavy set eye brows, Cejas' beauty is unique and original. It comes as no surprise then that Cejas' few select editorial appearances have included blue chip publications such as Paris Vogue, V magazine, Vogue Italia, i-D Magazine, LOVE, Numero and Metal Magazine. What I love about Cejas is that her beauty challenges the modelling industry's notions of beauty. Cejas is no cookie cutter beauty, rather the symmetry of her face appears to be mere millimetres away from being deemed by some as non-photogenic, and yet she is an exquisite beauty. At only eighteen years and represented by Ford Models, Cejas is likely to make an indelible impact at the upcoming Spring/Summer collections in September.
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| Metal Magazine - March 2011 Photographer - Michael Schwartz Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Numero - November 2010 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - models.com |
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| Portrait - March 2010 Photographer - Unknown Source - models.com |
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| Portrait - March 2010 Photographer - Unknown Source - models.com |
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| Polaroids - Ford Models Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Givenchy - Fall/Winter 2010 Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott Source - models.com |
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| Vogue Italia - March 2010 Photographer - Steven Klein Source - models.com |
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| Paris Vogue - June 2010 Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| i-D Magazine - December 2010 Photographer - Carlotta Manaigo Source - models.com |
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| V Magazine - May 2010 Photographer - Sebastian Faena Source - models.com |
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| Austrian Flair - Unknown Photographer - Manolo Campion Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Numero - Issue 118 Photographer - Greg Kadel Source - thefashionspot.com |
Born on 5th August 1988, Kendra Spears is part of a growing group of models that are putting America back on top when it comes to producing globally-recognised talent.Originally from Seattle, Washington, Spears began attending Portland State University in 2007 to study sociology. In January 2008, Spears entered Ford’s Supermodel of the World competition. She didn’t win, but Ford was so impressed by her, she was signed with the agency anyway.
That September, Kendra made her international runway debut, walking in high-prestige shows such as Valentino, Lanvin, Gucci, L’Wren Scott and Costume National. Spears got her first cover try in December 2008, fronting the January issue of Italian Amica, with an editorial in Italian Flair the following month.
Kendra’s features made her a good fit for the Italian market, but her look began to garner attention at home. With a similar look, right down to the trademark mole, Kendra’s resemblance to modelling icon Cindy Crawford was unmissable.
Hype began to build around Spears – would Kendra’s looks take her into a global, highly lucrative career just like Crawford’s had done twenty years previously? Combining the vintage feel of an Eighties supermodel in a new face meant that Kendra’s profile was only set to get bigger.
In February 09, Spears added new designers to her runway credits, including Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Prada and YSL. In March, www.style.com listed Spears as a star on the rise.
Kendra switched agencies in the Spring, making the move from Ford to Next. Changing agencies doesn’t normally make headlines, but on the 6th May, Ford Models sued Next for allegedly ‘poaching’ Spears. Kendra did not allow the controversy to break her focus and continued to work, being photographed for the Spring / Summer issue of Revue de Modes and the cover of British fashion bible Dazed & Confused in July. Kendra made her couture debut the same month, walking in the Autumn / Winter show for Givenchy.
But Spears’ biggest career coup came later that year when she was presented to the fashion industry as one of the faces of the new Prada campaign, featuring alongside Anna de Rijk and Julia Hafstrom.
Prada are known for taking chances on a new face when it comes to their runway shows, but campaigns are a much bigger gamble. Those images are in circulation for months, representing the brand’s ‘big idea’ for that season. Get the casting wrong, and it can spell disaster. But hiring a model that, up to this point, was untested when it came to campaigns was the type of move that could only come from Prada. The label known for risk-taking once again proved its reputation for picking talent. Sporting one of Prada’s most memorable looks, in frizzy hair and waders, Spears doesn’t look like a fish out of water, but completely at ease.
The Prada campaign had the desired effect in launching Spears into the big-time. In September, Teen Vogue featured Kendra as a rising star, and in the same month, Kendra got to open shows for Badgley Mischka and Diane Von Furstenberg. Also appearing for Alberta Ferretti, Cacharel, Calvin Klein, Derek Lam, Oscar de la Renta and Prada, Kendra was making her move from rising star to firmly established.
Closing out the year with a spot as W magazine’s ‘This Week’s Model’, January 2010 saw Kendra hit the cover of Chinese Vogue. Choosing to skip Fashion Week, Kendra padded out 2010 with editorial work, appearing for Japanese Vogue in February, Harper’s Bazaar in July and British and French Vogue in August. This wealth of photographic work proved to be beneficial for Spears when she landed the booking of a lifetime, appearing in the Calvin Klein White Label campaign.
Already experienced at handling a high-stakes campaign with Prada, Kendra was signed up to appear in the Autumn / Winter campaign. Matching the quintessential American ‘face’ with the label that most clearly defines American style, it was a win-win for both parties.
Forget the jeans and t-shirt, think American high-fashion and you find yourself thinking in the sartorial language Calvin Klein has created. Crisp clean lines executed in a palette of neutrals or blocks of bright, bold colour, it is the template of great American design: when in doubt, keep it simple. Klein’s influence may be vast but its effects can be most clearly seen close to home in the work of Michael Kors, Reed Krakoff and Jason Wu.
Modelling these clothes however is far from straightforward. Play it too low-key and you run the risk of fading into the background; overdo it and the whole effect of minimal chic is ruined. These clothes need more than a pulse, they need a character that’s in sympathy with what the designer is trying to achieve. Great modelling isn’t just about embodying a brand’s ideals; it’s about becoming their ideal customer.
The Calvin Klein customer is an easy read; intelligent with sophisticated tastes but doesn’t take themselves too seriously. There are plenty of brands that offer the ‘wow’ factor, but the Calvin Klein customer at this level appreciates good design, but they don’t need their wardrobe to do the talking for them. The selling point of Calvin Klein is in the detail you don’t see.
Kendra’s success at translating Calvin Klein created more runway bookings, resulting in a 33-show season including Prada, Chanel, Fendi, Lanvin, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney and Roland Mouret.
Renewing her Calvin Klein contract in January 2011, Spears also got another blue-chip campaign signing with Diane Von Furstenberg. With Kendra’s ultra-feminine features, she was a perfect sell for the DVF name made on the back of those famous, and much copied, wrap dresses.
Spears also got asked to appear in the campaign for Etro, with Frida Gustavsson and Toni Garrn. The brand has come into its own this season with the resurgence of print for S/S 2011. Every label has its moment, where the feel of the season neatly dovetails with their look. With print and colour being an Etro speciality, this summer will see labels who favour the maximalist approach go super-stellar.
Kendra switched it up in January with a Japanese Vogue editorial named ‘The Legend of Simplicity’. Wearing simple designs, but endowing them with bags of personality, Spears took what she learned from working with Calvin Klein and used it to great effect.
With a body of work that’s visibly growing in diversity, Spears is proving to be more than just the American girl of the moment. Her latest campaign signings – Calvin Klein, DVF and Etro – are testament to how Kendra handles high-fashion. The requirements of a brand like Calvin Klein will be very different to those of Etro, but that’s entirely the point. A model that’s at home in eclectic, bohemian print as she is in clean, minimal lines understands that fashion is rarely pure and ever simple: each new trend taps into another. This kaleidoscopic effect of modern fashion means there is no such thing as an ‘absolute’ trend, untainted by fashion history or other cultural influences. Some designers’ tracks are easier to uncover: Gucci delves into the glamour power-surges of the past, and Miuccia Prada borrows references from Warhol to Baroque. One look at the Prada runway and it’s no surprise that Miuccia is one of the world’s most prolific art collectors.
Spears may have an undeniable resemblance to Cindy Crawford, but her career is proving to be anything but retro. The American model has moved from plain and simple concepts: the minimalist, the beach babe or the girl-next-door. Strip away these preconceived ideas about American beauty, and you get a generation of models that are a whole lot harder to figure out.
Fashion’s striving for a richness and individuality that is at odds with the industry as it was just a few decades ago. There’s no one ‘in’ colour or hem that’s the only fashionable length to be seen in. It was once stated that in the fashion industry, hemlines went up and down like the stock market. Good financial times in the 60’s brought us the mini-skirt. The economic woes of the 70’s saw ankle-grazing maxi skirts as the only way to go.
What does it say about us now when there are no hard and fast rules? Colour is back after a winter of neutrals, but no one shade takes precedence. As to hemlines, the choice as varied as denim cut-offs and maxi dresses, with midi skirts literally sitting somewhere in-between. If fashion’s a mirror, reflecting what’s going on all around us, is it about giving us choice or an unwillingness to commit – a fear of backing the wrong horse? From whatever angle you look at it, fashion has never been more interesting than it is right now. But this relaxing of the rules is good news for the modelling industry.
Assigning models is no longer a process of ticking boxes. A model with a tomboyish look and personal style can get seriously girlie for Chanel and a model with curves to die for can front a label that’s all about simple, no-nonsense lines. There’s a definite shift occurring in how we think about models. With the labels removed, everyone’s a potential perfect fit. Making assumptions about who can do what no longer works for the models making their way up the ladder. There’s a difference between being limited and exclusive: it may be small, but its effects are substantially felt.
Kendra’s old-school charm and her more-than-passing resemblance to Cindy Crawford has given her a head start in an industry where a little hype can take you a long way. But Kendra, like her peers (Karlie, Dree, Jacquelyn and Chanel) is on-target for a career that’s complex and undefinable, and all the more exciting for it.
The current generation of models are lucky because having fewer definitions means fewer limits. As fashion grapples with forming its new, post-recession identity, the models that are breaking into the industry are not only fresh and modern, but ready, willing and able to adapt. Meet the front line of fashion’s evolution.
HELEN TOPE
Friday, 10 June 2011
Tsanna Latouche and Barbara Di Creddo turn into a pair of disco divas in an editorial for the Financial Times supplement, How to Spend It Magazine. Di Creddo and Latouche vamp it up for photographer Andrew Yee wearing designs by Gucci, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton. The contrasting looks of Latouche and de Creddo work in tandem for this editorial, with both models perfectly encapsulating the hedonistic vibe of the 70's disco era.
Represented by IMG Models, Canadian-born Latouche owes her exotic beauty to a mix of Jamaican and Indian lineage. Brazilian model Di Creddo has been modelling since 2005 and recently switched representation from IMG Models to Ford. Blessed with Victoria's Secret runway-worthy bodies and editorial-friendly faces, both models have up until now appealed to more commercial-end clients. I hope that this stunning editorial gets both models noticed by casting directors and designers in the lead up to the Spring/Summer 2012 shows in September.
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| Tsanna Latouche |
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| Barbara Di Creddo & Tsanna Latouche |
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| Barbara Di Creddo |
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| How to Spend It Magazine Photographer - Andrew Yee Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
Friday, 8 April 2011
The lovely and beautiful Tao Okamoto has joined forces with photographer John Paul Pietrus to raise funds for the disaster relief in Japan. Hailing from Japan, Okamoto was in Tokyo at the time of the earthquake and tsunami, and saw first hand the devastating effects of the natural disaster. In an open letter to the general public, Okamoto recounts the fear felt by her fellow country men and women and encourages "friends of the world" to continue in their support of the relief efforts in Japan.
New York based Okamoto has since been searching for a way to contribute to the relief effort and to raise awareness for the long road to recovery for the people of Japan. Okamoto has collaborated with Pietrus to produce a limited edition print run of 100 photographs signed by the photographer and his muse with proceeds going to the Red Cross specifically for the Japan Tsunami Appeal www.redcross.org.uk/japantsunami
Okamoto who is represented by Ford Models in New York, rose to prominence in 2009 when her waist length hair was cut with dramatic effect into a pixie-like bob. Okamoto has appeared in advertising campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Benetton, Kenzo and Uniqlo, and has also featured in editorials for US Vogue, Interview and i-D Magazine. More a muse to designers and photographers alike, Okamoto is fast becoming an iconic model and her efforts to raise awareness for the Japan Tsunami Appeal demonstrate that beauty is indeed more than skin deep.
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| True Spirit Source - thefashionspot.com |
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| Open Letter to Friends of the World Source - fashiongonerogue.com |
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| Japan Disaster Relief Source - models.com |
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| So Young Kang, Hyoni Kang, Tao Okamoto, Fei Fei Sun & Ming Xi US Vogue - February 2011 Photographer - Mario Testino |
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| Vogue China - February 2010 Photographer - Max Vadukal |
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| Interview - April 2011 Photographer - Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott |
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| V Magazine no. 67 Photographer - Paul Rowland |
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