Pulse models blazing the world's runways

Published: Sunday | October 4, 2009



From left, Oraine Barrett, Jeneil Williams and Jaunel McKenzie.

Pulse supermodel Jeneil Williams continues to set the global fashion scene ablaze, maintaining her magnificent run as one of the top stars for the season's international collections.

From the urban and chic New York to the glamorous scene in Paris, the Vogue model has amassed significant runway mileage for some of fashion's major power players including Vivienne Westwood, Jonathan Saunders, the timeless Nicole Miller, Rosa Cha, Paul Smith (for whom Williams presented the all-important opening look and designer curtain call), Michelle Obama favourites Zero + Mario Cornejo, Tracy Reese, the sassy PPQ, Prabel Gurung, Custo Barcelona, burgeoning fashion force Alexandre Herchcovitch, Roksanda Ilinic, among other stylish savants. Touted by international fashion executives as 'the model to watch' this style season, Williams has easily satisfied her eager audience with impressive showings in New York and London.

And such was the demand for her in Paris that she skipped Milan and headed to the world's fashion capital for the season's grand finale. Several of Paris' top fashion houses including Celine, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Rick Owens, Giles, Dries Van Noten, Chloe and Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu have all opted for the chocolate-skinned beauty to walk their collections.

Impressive track record

After her debut in the New York and Paris collections in February, designers seemed to have formed a special connection with Williams, and given her impressive track record (Italian Vogue, GQ, Victoria's Secret), it was only natural that she would return to the Spring/Summer collections as a contender for top runway honours.

She has had a brilliant run of form capturing the attention of the industry's elite as 2009 marked the year her career took on another dimension and soared to a higher level. With outstanding campaigns, exceptional editorials and distinguished collections among her repertoire, Williams is enjoying her ever-growing success.

Williams' Pulse stablemates Gaye McDonald, Oreintha Russell, Oraine Barrett and Jaunel McKenzie have all glided on to the runways of some of the major design brands in New York, London, Milan and Paris.

While Williams has been creating a whirlwind on the catwalks, her colleague, Gaye McDonald, has been steadily and quietly doing her thing. The lanky 5' 9" model has moved through New York, London and Milan for Anne Valerie Hash, Prabal Gurung, Organic by John Patrick and many others. Now in Paris, McDonald has taken the reigns for Italian Salvatore Ferragamo and is lined up for other top guns in that city. Both McDonald and Williams have their own multiple show pages on style.com, the online home of fashion bible Vogue.

Making waves

Barrett, for his part, having been busy with his Polo Ralph Lauren and Timberland campaigns, along with recent editorials for Japanese Vogue, continued to hold his own for Baby Phat, Gilded Edge and Guerlain among others at New York Fashion Week. And while Barrett was strutting his stuff in New York, Pulse runway debutante Russell made waves at London Fashion Week with shows for VanP, Sado, Sorg and PPQ.

McKenzie, whose career has soared to the top of world modelling in the last few years, set the standard for all models to follow with record-breaking struts in her first two seasons at the bi-annual quartet of shows. A favourite of designers, McKenzie's show line-up reads like a fashion A-Z and the numbers have been even more impressive with 36 shows in her first season alone. From Alexander McQueen to Zac Posen, McKenzie blazed a trail on the catwalks for fashion's finest designers. Now, the fashion superstar is at a point in her career where she can select just a handful of designers to work with during the collection season. This year she starred on the exclusive Phillip Lim runway, which catered to an elite and exclusive fashion set.

 
 
 
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