SAINT models on the radar for global fashion markets

On a mission to place SAINT International’s faces across multiple fashion markets in the United States and Europe, veteran model scout Lisa Phillips was on the island last week, eyeing potential stars in the making at a casting session hosted by SAINT Chief Executive Officer Deiwght Peters at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

“I am looking [primarily] for the Los Angeles market, but I also show the model talent that’s right for Miami and Chicago and also London, Milan, Paris and Stockholm,” said Phillips, in-between light banter with scores of new faces assembled in the hotel’s gardens who gamely alternated poses for snapshots and runway walk videos under her direction.

Based in Los Angeles with Select Models agency, Phillips, who is of mixed-Jamaican ancestry with an Indian mother and a Scottish-Norwegian father, was sufficiently impressed with the crop of models she interfaced with, offering rave reviews for the Jamaican in the fashion industry. “All I see is legs coming towards me. Proportions are very important in the modelling business, and I find Jamaicans have tall lean proportions. I love the wide-spread eyes and full lips. They eat well, run track and have great genetics. Poland is the only other place I have gone to scout where the bodies are perfectly proportionate,” she explained.

Pinpointing the scope of work in the Californian space in which she operates day to day, the model scout rationalised that while not a high fashion market, Los Angeles is in fact a rapidly growing fashion market comparable to New York in terms of earning potential. “We take on fashion models and do fashion magazines and a lot of special projects as well. We work with a lot of creators and influencers and also do a lot of e-commerce and catalogue work which is currently the bread and butter of the business,” Phillips shared.

‘GREAT EXPERIENCE’

For SAINT’s new face Jaheil Thompson, who recently completed upper sixth form at Clan Carthy High, last week’s casting process with Phillips was instructive and afforded him a learning curve. “It was a great experience and I hope that I have the qualities and skills she was looking for and I’ll be able to get an opportunity to work with Select in the future.” The 19-year-old expounded that his pursuit of modelling stems from his enjoyment being in front of camera and the creative expression that come with it. “Given the opportunity to work in Los Angeles in particular, I would look forward to being able to finally travel and work with designers and photographers and shoot campaigns for prestigious brands,” he said.

In from her home parish of St Ann for the casting, model aspirant Trezequet Palmer, like Thompson found the process enriching. “One thing that stood out to me was how we took the time to get to know each person she spoke with. Her warmth and natural charm made me feel at ease and allowed me to open up and share more about myself,” Palmer, a newly minted graduate of The University of the West Indies, Mona campus with a management studies degree, explained.

Underscoring the value of what is deemed as ‘the X factor’ which makes a model uniquely appealing, Phillips said throughout any casting process, she is drawn to models who have great self-awareness. “That’s the first step of being successful and figuring that out so I am looking for a career model who is personable that gets the business, is intelligent, knows designers and understands how to leverage social media,” she noted.

With his gaze towards expansion into additional marketplaces, SAINT boss Deiwght Peters is hopeful of pending growth on the horizon, and resolutely happy of the buoyant success his agency continues to chart. “Kai Newman was on the March cover of Harper’s Bazaar and did the Spring/Summer and Pre-Fall global campaigns for Ferragamo, Brit Knight is the face for the new Lancôme beauty campaign for their La Vie Est Belle fragrance, Aurelie Giraud is a face for Yves Saint Laurent’s make-up campaign, Tami Williams shot the Balmain Spring/Summer campaign, Lawrence, Selah and Jonny shot Wales Bonner’s latest campaign here in Jamaica, and Romaine Doxon did Helmut Lang’s Spring/Summer e-commerce campaign. There’s a lot of blessings to be grateful for, and we look forward to many new exciting chapters to unfold,” Peters hinted.