Modeling Journey

Of all the Brazilian models to emerge during the late nineties, Caroline Ribeiro is my absolute favourite. Born in Belom do Para, Brazil, Ribeiro's exotic, unconventional looks were a result of her Portuguese and Amazonian Indian heritage. Ribeiro's multi-cultural looks, which were an considered a hurdle during the initial stages of her career, drew the attention and admiration of the then Gucci designer Tom Ford who cast her in his Spring/Summer 1999 show. Ribeiro became a muse to Ford, who declared that "Her face is an unusual blend of cultures"and featured her prominently in multiple Gucci campaigns.

Ford's adulation opened doors for Ribeiro to work with other fashion houses and she has since starred in campaigns for Escada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and cK1. Championed by the likes of Mario Testino, Steven Meisel and Patrick Demarchelier, Ribeiro was a permanent fixture in American Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Vogue Italia. In September 2001, Ribeiro entered the holy grail of modelling when she was signed a reported $6 million dollar contract as a spokesperson for Revlon cosmetics. Ribeiro's exposure was also maximised in the same year when she was selected to walk in the Victoria's Secret runway spectacle.

During the late nineties, Ribeiro's distinct hybrid looks set her apart and drew comparisons to the iconic beauty Bianca Jagger. The 178 cm tall chameleon downplays her looks, stating that "I think my face is different, it's exotic - not like normal beauty. I don't have what you would call perfect beauty....with a face like mine I can play around." 

Candice Swanepoel and Jon Kortajarena bring plenty of sizzle and pizzazz to Tom Ford's Fall/Winter campaign lensed by the ubiquitous Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. Proving that her high fashion crossover was no mere fluke, Victoria's Secret Angel Swanepoel trades in her wings for Ford's decadent and sublimely tailored gowns. Swanepoel's recent appearances in Vogue Italia, Vogue Paris, V Magazine and Pop shot respectively by Steven Meisel, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino and Jamie Morgan have heralded a return to models with personality, allure and a more womanly silhouette. I am delighted to be seeing commercial models like Swanepoel being given the opportunity to showcase their versatility and beauty. Swanepoel has certainly paid her dues and is fasting earning a reputation in the fashion industry as one of the sweetest and amiable personalities. 

Twenty year old newcomer Carola Remer has the kind of extreme, jolting beauty that makes you sit up and take notice. Hailing from Germany and standing at 177 cm, Remer's face has amazingly angular features thanks to her impossibly high cheek bones, wide set eyes and square jawline. Remer has an exotic, other-wordly beauty that is hard to place. To me she looks like a cross between Magdalena Frackowiak and nineties model Tatiana Sorroko.

Remer's plans for a career in medicine were side-lined when a cousin sent her pictures into a modelling agency without her consent. Remer deferred her medical studies when the agency requested to meet with her and signed her on the spot. Now represented by One Management in New York, Remer had an impressive debut at the Fall/Winter 2011 shows appearing in a total of 27 shows including Tom Ford, Emilio Pucci, Hakaan and Yigal Azrouel. Remer debuted on the models.com chart of Top 50 models at position 43 and has had an impressive editorial response with appearances in US Harper's Bazaar with Glen Luchford, Self Service, Vogue China and Nippon Vogue with Daniel Jackson. With Remer's exquisite beauty and grace of movement, I expect appearances in Vogue Italia and Paris Vogue to follow suit.

Born on 22nd March 1989 in Santa Catarina, Brazil, Aline comes from a country fiercely proud of its success in providing the fashion industry with some of its brightest stars. Aline’s start began in 2004 when she was featured as the Model of the Week by www.models.com. Aged 15, this was a huge honour for a model still considered a new face.

In 2005, she scored her first cover, appearing in the autumn special for British magazine ‘Dazed & Confused’. From 2006 to 2008, Weber built up a series of credits including a catwalk appearance for Comme des Garcons and editorials for Italian Elle and Brazilian Vogue. But, as with every success story, there came a moment when her career took her from ordinary model to industry player. For Aline, this moment was in February 2008. She did the rounds for the coveted runway spots in Fashion Week, and soon discovered that hers was the name everyone wanted. She got three opening spots – Daks, Requiem and Balenciaga – and appeared in a staggering roll-call of design talent including Burberry, Chloe, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and YSL. Making a massive impact across all the major shows, Aline was featured as a Top 10 Newcomer by both www.models.com and http://www.style.com/.

June ’08 saw Aline take another step forward with two editorials for French Vogue, both shot by Patrick Demarchelier. ‘Le Chant des Sirenes’ saw Aline modelling with Lara Stone. French Vogue is known for its love of the avant-garde side of fashion, but where the magazine excels is in making creative decisions that are not high-fashion for high-fashion’s sake. It marries editorial excellence with images that make you stop in your tracks. A high-fashion image can be dreamy, exhilarating or provocative, but it has to be arresting. This is a lot to ask any model, but google the images and it’s clear that Aline and Lara work together in perfect synchronicity.

Aline’s winning streak at scoring blue-chip bookings was cemented by her signing for a D&G campaign, plus editorials for Harper’s Bazaar, Chinese Vogue and Italian Vogue. In September, Weber’s runway profile soared with the news she would be the closer for the Marc Jacobs show. To appear in a Marc Jacobs show is a stellar moment in any model’s CV. To appear as the headliner, or even the last girl standing, is an indication that your look most closely matches the designer’s vision for that season. For Spring 2009, Aline was the Jacobs’ girl.

2009 started with Aline making her debut for the French Vogue calendar and featuring on the cover of Brazilian Vogue. Aline’s reputation as a Vogue favourite, continued with editorials for Japanese Vogue in March and April. Weber’s potential to be that classic, bookable model hit a high note in August when she appeared for American Vogue’s now-famous editorial, ‘After Hours: Fashion’s Night Out’. Like their 2007 cover naming their picks for future top models, this spread was a mega-model gathering, with every model of note asked to take part. It was an impressive logistical feat, but the emerging photos were a snapshot of fashion’s best new and established faces. The editorial charted talent from across the globe, with Aline one of many representing Brazil.

Modelling took a temporary hiatus when Aline’s career took an unusual turn in December ’09. Asked to make a cameo appearance in Tom Ford’s film ‘A Single Man’, Weber got a small role in Ford’s directorial debut. Starring Colin Firth, the film demanded restraint from every performer: any jarring note would have picked up immediately, but Aline’s appearance as one of Colin’s students, was cool, calm and collected. Perfect for the film, and a perfect debut.

2010 took Aline’s career up another notch with the January cover for Spanish Vogue and an editorial for Russian Vogue. Appearing the next month in RTW shows for Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney, Aline’s runway CV was shaping up to be one of the strongest among models working today.

Aline’s ability to work unfazed was put to the test in July when she got booked for her first couture season. It was the final hurdle in winning her fashion stripes. Proving yourself at couture level can take years: Aline’s steady accumulation of runway and editorial work more than proved her ability to take on fashion’s greatest challenge.

In August, Weber scored another major editorial, working again for French Vogue. ‘L’hiver avant l’hiver’ was a 65-page odyssey through the coming season’s fashion. These editions are especially important, as they set the sartorial standard for the next 6 months. Being asked to feature in these editorials is more than being a face that fits: it’s a sign that your look matches what’s being produced for the next season and can be very good news when you’re looking for that next booking.

Sure enough, Aline’s runway total for the S/S 2011 season reached a mammoth 46 shows. Her look was paired with every major designer from Chanel, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney. Six years after being nominated ‘Model of the Week’ by www.models.com, Aline has become a favourite with every notable designer; more in demand than ever, at a time when most models are considering their next move.

Modelling is, by its nature, brief, but with Aline’s latest move to Next Models, her career is far from losing momentum. Despite being from the same stable as models Isabeli Fontana and Gisele Bundchen, Aline is a model who is proud to be different. Weber’s fashion-perfect frame and trademark cheekbones have made her a high-fashion favourite, with her work in editorials securing her a reputation with the best magazines in the world.

Brazil has given us the ultimate fashion-meets-bombshell moments with Gisele Bundchen, and Victoria’s Secret superstars, Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. Aline’s career may be decidedly different from theirs, but it is no less impressive for it. She is a fashion girl through and through – her appeal spans Milan, New York and Paris, with multiple bookings from designers who adore Weber’s ability to transform at will.

Being exclusively high-fashion, and making it pay, is a tough business. The opportunities are few and far between, and the lucrative campaigns are especially rare. Aline’s continuing success since 2004 is evidence of a model who can handle the difficult, nuanced work required by magazines such as French Vogue, and headline shows for Balenciaga, D&G and Marc Jacobs. Aline’s accomplishments shouldn’t be underestimated. To not only get bookings, but those of the very highest quality, after six years in circulation, is an astonishing feat, and one that is seldom rivalled.

What Aline represents is the softer side of Brazil’s wealth of modelling talent. Weber may not be a big-bucks name like Gisele, but she has done sterling work in promoting Brazil’s ability to produce editorial talent. Brazil’s proven that it can supply models that smoulder and strut their way to the top, but to seriously compete at the highest levels of the fashion industry, Brazil needed a model that was an editorial thoroughbred.

This is what Aline delivers time after time: she has managed to stay relevant in an industry where the pace is dizzying. She is still one of the most requested and photographed faces, competing successfully among an ever-growing carousel of new faces. Fashion always needs the ‘money girls’, the models who turn selling sportswear and lingerie into an art form. But fashion’s tastes for editorial are complex and ever-changing: the model who meets them is far from ordinary.

In fashion, success rests on reputation. Aline’s extraordinary career has made her country one of the best-known producers of modelling talent in the world. From top-drawer glamour to cutting-edge editorial, Brazil has given fashion some of its most recognisable faces. In an industry where excellence is defined by the quality of work, rather than quantity, Aline’s incredible CV has taken her country’s reputation from sizzle to substance.

HELEN TOPE

Dutch beauty Daphne Groenveld continues to cast a spell over the fashion world with her distinct and haunting beauty. Discovered by Bloom Models at the age of fifteen whilst shopping with her mother, Groeneveld is now represented worldwide by Women Model Management. Groeneveld's  exaggerated facial features render her instantly recognisable, due in part to her large, saucer-shaped eyes and her massive, bee stung lips. Groeneveld already exhibits an amazing presence on the runway and in print images and is likely to reach her full potential with age and experience.

Groeneveld is already a firm favourite with Vogue Paris, having appeared on the cover of the December 2010 edition alongside Tom Ford, and has been photographed recently by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia. The 179 cm other-worldly beauty dominated the recent Fall/Winter 2011 collections, racking up a tally of 39 shows and held opening slots for Calvin Klein, Altuzarra, Rick Owens, Herve Leger, Jason Wu, Vera Wang and Versus. Modelling for only a little over a year, this relative newcomer has appeared in campaigns for Miu Miu and Givenchy, and is one of modelling's most exciting new prospects.