Pulse model Jaunel McKenzie struts the catwalk at the recently-held Caribbean Fashionweek.
Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
IT SEEMS as though every other week there is a 'Supermodel of Jamaica' contest, or some competition of a similar nature, being held somewhere in Jamaica. Model agencies are popping up out of the woodwork and with them a plethora of different titles for young men and women, hungry for a chance at becoming the next big thing.
But how many model titles should there be? And, which agencies, if at all, should have the exclusive rights to award such honours? There are many model agencies in Jamaica Saint International, Champs Model Management, Miguel Models, the newly formed Zahni International, Finesse, Fujon, La'Face among the more prominent and with the industry so open to expansion, it seems that many more are destined to come along.
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
While some of these agencies are obviously doing well locally and internationally in terms of getting work for their models, others it seems are just here today and gone tomorrow, taking with them the hopes of many young people who want to break into an industry swamped by many title holders.
Among the contests and titles are the Caribbean Fashion Model Competition which has been put on by Pulse since 1983; the Male Face of Jamaica Competition; The Supermodel of The Caribbean and the Petite Competition, all put on by Pulse also. Then there is The (Ford) Supermodel of Jamaica Competition staged by Saint International (for the first time this year Pulse had the franchise previously); The Fashion Face of the Caribbean and The Faces of Summer Competition put on by CVM and Saint. Champs stages Manhunt Mr. Jamaica, Mr. Jamaica Hit the Beach and Miss Jamaica Venus. This list is by no means exhaustive, but the titles surely are exhausting.
QUESTIONING CREDIBILITY
However, with the list of model agencies forever growing and the titles being re-invented and re-used every year, how can one assess the validity of the competitions?
According to Pulse CEO, Kingsley Cooper, "The public determines credibility. You go to these competitions and you see which ones are packed and which ones are not." This, he says, is an indication of which competitions are credible. But, in some cases simply using crowd support is not an effective means of determining the validity and credibility of these competitions because people with nothing to do and all day to do it will end up anywhere. And a fickle and often uninformed crowd is not a good indication of which shows are of value.
In such cases, Deiwight Peters, Saint's CEO, suggests using the success of previous winners of these competitions as an indication of value. Saint's focus is on the international market and, as such, he suggests that for his agency the number of models who are placed in agencies overseas is a means by which to judge. "Saint has placed 12 models in London in the past month," he added.
Peters seems to have hit on the best way to judge the competitions. In the same way the perceived value of the local legs of the Miss World and Miss Universe competitions are tied to how well the representatives perform in the international competition, so should the value of these 'supermodel' competitions be judged.
In this respect, Pulse and Saint seem to have the industry locked down where the quality of their models is concerned.
According to Pulse, "Since the start of 2003 the Pulse Caribbean Model Search has produced some of the hottest new faces on the international fashion scene. Having shot Vogue, Harper's & Queen, I-D, The Face, The London Times, V and Touch magazines, as well as campaigns for Gucci and Gap, Pulse models Jaunel McKenzie, Serchen Morris and Nadine Willis are among the latest Caribbean talent to emerge,
making their mark on the global modelling industry.
"Women Model Agency, based in the U.S., has signed on the phenomenally popular Nackeisha Robinson from Saint, who was the winner of the CVM Faces of Summer 2002. Jamaican male model Tafari Hinds, who was discovered in the 2001 CVM Faces of Summer Model Search by Deiwight Peters, has shot campaigns for Kangol, Adidas, Enyce, Levi's and Diesel Jeans. Kerry Lewis and Tafawa Thompson from Champs have been successful locally, appearing in editorials, music videos and ad campaigns.
THE REAL GOODS
Though Champs is not an agency which focuses on the international scene, CEO Debbie-Ann Stanley agrees with Peter's opinion that the proof of the competition's worth does not come with the announcement of a winner.
"It's what you deliver. Once you deliver the goods, then people will come back. If at the end of the day they don't get to go to China, then they won't come back," she states.
She said that the increase in the number of model competitions has caused the industry, and especially the smaller agencies, problems in finding sponsorship.
She said not many companies are willing to sponsor modelling competitions.
"They feel like models are dumb. And with smaller agencies not developing their models after the competition it does make them come across that way," Ms. Stanley said.
While Pulse and Saint enjoy success internationally, agencies which focus on the local market, such as Champs and Miguel Models, will have a harder time distinguishing themselves from their rivals.
But when all is said and done, who is the real supermodel of Jamaica? In the same way that there is only one Miss Jamaica World, why can't there be a 'face-off' among all the title holders of the various competitions?
"It's kinda hard because of the diversity of the different agencies and what they look for. Different agencies look for different markets," says Debbie-Ann Stanley.
Because of that, the final showdown will probably never occur. The specific criteria attached to international models are not the same for those who work locally. An international female model should be at least 5'9" and above, no more than 130 lb and must be able to fit into a size 2. The criteria is not the same for a local model.
