A taste that became a craving

Mon, Feb 20th 2012, 10:21 AM

The world of accounting's loss is definitely a plus to the world of fashion.
Ten years ago, while still a college student, studying towards a bachelor's degree in business administration, New Providence native Kamela Forbes booked a nine-month engagement with the Ebony Fashion Fair Tour. She worked the runway almost daily during that stint, traveled to over 100 U.S. cities, and even walked during a show in The Bahamas as part of the tour. It was a life-changing experience for her. She took a year off from finding a job in the financial sector. She says she has not had a day of regret since.
When the tour ended, Forbes knew her life would never be the same. She decided that a desk job was not something she wanted to entertain anymore. She had gotten a taste of the fashion world on a large scale and that made her crave it even more. As soon as she could, she hopped on the first flight to Los Angeles, California, in pursuit of a career in fashion. She has not looked back.
After a decade in the industry, she's been used in photo shoots for over 20 magazines, including Ebony, Essence, Cosmopolitan, InStyle and Rolling Stones. Hers is indeed a fascinating story.
Breaching the world of fashion was something the five-foot, 10-inch beauty dreamt about since her childhood. During the early years she says she experienced numerous rejections along the way. She says many companies initially didn't even let her book appointments to meet with them. She didn't let that deter her. In those cases she said she often just marched in and was persistent in her quest. She eventually landed at Otto Model Management and they helped her build her portfolio in Los Angeles before she headed to New York. She's currently signed to Major Model Management.
Next up for the Bahamian stunner is a trip down the runway at the "Some Like it Hot" fashion show in Bermuda on Friday, April 6. It's a walk she's looking forward to as she's passionate about the runway and high fashion, but over the years, different projects have taken her away from the runway.
Forbes has done print work for Tiffany & Co.'s March catalogue. And done work with Target and Macy's. She can also be seen in ads for the Motorola cell phone company. On the high fashion side of things, she has also worked with designers J. Mendel and Marc Jacobs.
"I love runway because it's a thrill from start to finish. It's like transforming yourself into someone else. The entire production of the runway is so vibrant. It's lights and cameras and a great audience. It's really fun. Unfortunately for me runway modeling is not as financially rewarding as print modeling. I like print because your life is never the same everyday. It's a different project almost every time. With department stores you are asked to be an everyday kind of person. You're more relatable and can just be yourself. On the other hand an editorial shoot may need me to be different. Make-up, the clothes, the poses are more complex and that's a lot of fun as well. It's a lot more creative."
No matter the opportunity, Forbes is happiest when she gets to travel to do her work. She has traveled to Europe and Africa to do shoots and runway shows.
While the past decade has been a journey for her, she says one of the most important lessons she has learned is that a model has to have a thick skin, be patient, and work hard - no matter the situation. She may not have started her career as early as other models who started out as teenagers, but she says she is glad for the time she had to discover herself.
Her advice to up-and-coming models is to think about what they are doing, and create a portfolio that is diverse, but not expensive.
"You have to have a portfolio, but I wouldn't advise investing in something too expensive because you never know what the agency is looking for. They often are fine with simpler shots, but it's nice to have something different in there as well. Besides, many agencies will still just push you in the direction they want you to go in. If their dream is do something in the U.S. they need to look up the agencies and find out which day they allow walk-in models. Most will let you just come but others are by appointment."
She says a good age to start pursuing a modeling career is 16, or when they have finished high school because like a professional sport, in modeling, the earlier you get started, the better off you are.
Forbes, an advocate of education, says she is torn about the issue because she says the precious time it takes to obtain a college degree narrows the window of success in the field.
"Unless a young girl is sure she has the talent and look the industry wants, as well as the backing from an agency, heading straight into the industry, it may not work out as well. It's a hard thing to put your all into something and it not be rewarding even years down the line. There is some good in having your college degree so you have something to fall back on, but if you have a good chance in the industry from the start then it would be good to just go for it."
Forbes hopes to return to The Bahamas to scout for young models as well as set up a company where she can share her expertise in the field so that young people who want to enter the field don't have to endure the trials she had to. She would like to serve as a mentor and help make their road into the industry easier. This is something she knows the importance of, especially as she did not have anyone to serve as her mentor in her early days.
"It's a tough field," said Forbes, "but it is so rewarding when you can stick it out. It's not easy but I would encourage others to follow their hearts. I am really living my dream and I would like to help others to do the same," she says.

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