FASHION: Jamaican Models Make Strides Abroad

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Jul 9 1996 (IPS) - Names like Kimberly Mais, Lois Samuels and Angela Neil may not be as familiar as Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer or Naomi Campbell. But these apiring Jamaican supermodels are making an impact in the world’s fashion centres — and helping so sustain a vigorous grooming and fashion business in their homeland.

Indeed Jamaica’s reputation for producing world-class models capable of making an impact on catwalks of fashion centres like New York to Paris is growing.

The multi-racial look of the Jamaican woman has made a mark internationally from the early 1960s when Joan Carol Crawford won the ‘Miss World’ title. Two other Jamaican women, Cindy Breakespeare in 1976 and Lisa Hanna in 1994, also wore that crown.

While none of the three went on to become famous as cover girls, their success opened the doors for their counterparts in the more lucrative fashion business who have made remarkable strides, particularly in the last 10 years.

The success of Mais, Samuels and Neil has met with tremendous reception regionally, considering all graduated from a country whose fashion industry still lacks international sophistication.

Nobody is more aware of that success than Kingsley Cooper, Jamaica’s leading name in haute couture and whose Pulse Fashion Agency has produced the country’s most successful models, including Samuels and Mais.

“I think the local industry has made tremendous strides considering the small market we have here,” says Cooper, whose annual Supermodel and Pulse Fashion pageant has provided several budding models with the exposure geared for the big times.

Models like Mais, Neil and Samuels all competed in Cooper’s fashion contest which is attended by judges from established fashion agencies like Ford. Once they impress, the models (usually those who place in the top five) are signed by the agencies and become potential big-money earners.

To date, the story has been a relatively successful one. Mais went on to become a successful model in Japan, endorsing motor cars, lager beer and other products in that country. Neil has graced the covers of leading magazines such as Essence.

Samuels, graced with what those in the fashion business refer to as the “natural look”, is one of the top 10 models in the United States, according to leading publications in the field.

With their assignments centred around financially rewarding locations like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, Jamaican models in the United States are guaranteed lucrative contracts. According to Cooper, “most of these girls can earn up to one million annually once they keep busy”.

But why have Jamaican models become such a success in recent times when bigger countries like the United States and continents like Europe where fashion abounds, produce supermodels at virtually a dime a dozen?

Brian Rosen, a top Jamaican photographer, believes the country’s multi-racial content has a lot to do with it. “Per capita, Jamaica has some of the most beautiful women in the world,” he says. “The dark complexion is beautiful, so too the skin tone. It all adds up.”

Another reason Rosen cites is the growing demand for models with dark skin since the breakthrough in the 1980s of the Somalian Iman and the international popularity of Campbell whose mother is Jamaican.

The success of Jamaican models overseas has not gone unnoticed by players in the local fashion industry. It has sparked a noticeable rise in the establishment of grooming and fashion agencies, geared at fostering and discovering new talent, not to mention the numerous fashion contests.

The age of the models at these agencies usually ranges from 15 to early 30s. Entering a life of fashion however, is not necessarily a life of glamour in Jamaica. Putting together something as basic as a portfolio kit can run into thousands of dollars and the local clientele offers little chance to but a few of making it to the next level.

Most aspiring models are usually from upper middle-class backgrounds. Rosen is quick to point out that unless these girls figure prominently in pageants such as the Pulse or the local ‘Miss Universe’ contests where exposure is guaranteed, it is unlikely the big break will materialise.

“The Jamaican market is very limited,” he says, “unless she becomes Miss Jamaica or Miss Jamaica-Universe it’s unlikely anything big will happen. That one year can make a big difference.”