Modeling Journey

French model Aymeline Valade has emerged as this season's most coveted newcomer landing three  Fall/Winter campaigns for Kenzo, Just Cavalli and Etro photographed by Mario Sorrenti, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, and Mario Testino respectively. At age twenty six, Valade's success may come as a surprise to many given that most newcomers are barely shy of their teens. Valade's breakthrough occurred during the Fall/Winter 2011 collections in New York when Alexander Wang selected her to open his show. What followed was a deluge of runway bookings in Milan and Paris for the likes of Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton for which she closed. Valade has since made an indelible mark editorial-wise in blue chip publications including W, Interview, Numero, the Journal, i-D Magazine and German Vogue.

Valade along with Arizona Muse and Saskia de Brauw represent a shift in modelling's aesthetic toward models with life experience, a defined sense of self and purpose, and above all with personality. More than just a pretty face, Valade is an inquisitive woman who is clearly at one with her body, having trained for years in classical ballet. Valade details in an interview with the Cut that "I was scouted multiple times at multiple ages, but due to school and lack of interest I never pursued it. When I was 23, I went to Paris and was interning at a communications agency. Every day I passed by an agency and they scouted me. I did a few jobs with them but left after my internship was over. I eventually signed with Women Paris when my old agent from the agency became my manager and the rest is history."

Valade's striking individual looks are accentuated by an insightful mind and serene nature, adding in the interview with the Cut that "Happiness is a state. It is not something you think about, but something you are. The best thing to do is to just enjoy every situation as much as you can, the less you think about it, the better." Valade to me represents a backlash against the past few years of android-like pre-pubescent models predominantly from Eastern European block countries. Valade possesses the looks and personality to inspire photographers and designers to allow models to project their own personality onto the runway and editorial pages.

  

Twenty year old Lais Ribeiro from Miguel Alves in Brazil was discovered in a beauty contest in 2009 and made her international debut at the Fall/Winter 2010 shows where she walked in an impressive 24 shows including Marc Jacobs, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Givenchy and Christian Dior. Selected as one of the Top Ten newcomers by Models.com, Ribeiro's unique beauty is the result of a melange of races and her stunning physique is awe-inspiring given that she is the mother of a two year old boy named Alexandre. 

Ribeiro has been photographed recently by Steven Meisel for American Vogue, Emma Summerton for Vogue Italia and Victor Demarchelier for Vogue Espana. In 2010 Ribeiro was selected to appear in the  annual Victoria's Secret Runway extravaganza and has also been featured in campaigns for Ralph Lauren, American Eagle, J Crew and the GAP. The challenge for Ribeiro's management team at Women Models will be ensuring that this newcomer maintains her high fashion edge whilst also appealing to more commercial end clients.