Model Rachel Thomas has appeared in the pages of Interview, L’Officiel and Black magazine, but it is her work with non-profit Life Vest that has transformed the way she engages with the world. I caught up with her as talked about her role as a Kindness Ambassador for Life Vest and discussed her future plans.
How did you get started in the fashion business?
I got started in the fashion business by competing in the Kim Dawson Model Search 2009 in my hometown Dallas, Texas. I was a finalist in the competition and received a contract afterward. I then started to learn about the industry and work in Dallas while I was finishing high school.
How did you get involved with Life Vest?
I came across Live Vest and instantly was drawn to it because I support anything that spreads kindness throughout the world. When they offered me the role of Celebrity Kindness Ambassador I was thrilled.
What does your role as an ambassador for Life Vest entail?
My role as an ambassador at Life Vest requires me to perform a specific act of kindness that I receive by email every Monday. Along with that, I spread kindness to those around me everyday. I love empowering others and working with Life Vest allows me to do that.
How can people get involved?
Anyone can get involved with Life Vest by simply going online and clicking Get Involved. They are always looking for Kindness Ambassadors. Kindness is contagious so the more people who get involved the better.
What impact has social media had on your career?
Social media is starting to have a huge impact on my career. I’ve noticed that clients take social media very seriously and they’re paying attention. They want to book girls with a strong following. I treat social media professionally as part of my job as a model but I also recognize that there is huge potential. I’m also using social media as part of a growth strategy for my career beyond modeling.
What upcoming projects can you share with us?
I have some really exciting upcoming projects in the near future. I am doing an Instagram takeover for Serendipity Casting on October 24 and 25 and I am working on a design project which has always been a dream of mine.
Perhaps my longest relationship to date began as a teenager in the nineties. I grew up on a steady diet of magazines pouring over their pages for inspiration. The most notable of them being Details magazine. Through its various incarnations our relationship held fast and true. You can imagine my joy when I had the opportunity to speak with their Fashion Director Matthew Marden. I caught up with him as he talked about his role at Details and why there’s always the CIA to fall back on if things go wrong.
Tell us about how you got started in the industry.
My first job out of college was at the Staley-Wise Gallery in Soho, which was a gallery that specialized in fashion photography. The gallery has an amazing collection so I ended up learning a lot about the history of fashion through the artists they represented. A friend of mine was doing PR for Manolo Blahnik at the time and she hooked me up with a meeting with Michael Cannon at Town & Country. He was looking for someone to help him with the men’s fashion pages. We hit it off and I was hired as their Associate Men’s Fashion Editor. That was my first magazine job.
Describe your role at Details.
As the Fashion Director I am ultimately responsible for all the fashion in the magazine. Everything from what goes on the cover to what we shoot inside.
When storyboarding ideas how much does the collaborative process shape the outcome?
The outcome of an idea is always the result of a collaboration. That’s what I love about my job the most. Being able to work with such cool, creative, talented people. I’m really lucky in that regard. Of course it doesn’t always turn out the way I expected but that’s not always a bad thing. You have to be open to ideas from the photographer or the Creative Director or sometimes it’s the model and their style that will influence a shoot or even the way the groomer does the hair can often take it to the next level.
What are some of the biggest misconceptions about what you do?
That it’s all glamorama. Yes, of course we are lucky to be in some extraordinary situations but in the end it’s a job and like any job you have to be prepared to pull your weight and work hard. And willing to do the work. There are no shortcuts.
How has the shift to digital changed the nature of what you do?
The best thing about digital and social media is that it allows you to reach a boarder audience. Also, there is an immediacy that exists now which is really exciting.
What qualities do you possess that you think have served you well in your role?
Patience.
Where do you source your inspiration?
Everywhere; movies, books, history, music videos, art, photography, people and nature.
At work what are the biggest challenges you face?
Sometimes the personalities of creative people can be a challenge. Mine included.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a Fashion Director?
I feel like I would have made a really good double agent for the CIA.
What advice would you give someone wanting to break into this industry?
Work hard and always write a hand written thank you note.
Dutch beauty Laura Kampman broke onto the fashion scene in Balenciaga’s spring 2012 ad campaign. A slew of editorials in magazines from ELLE to W and a cover of Italian Vogue lensed by superstar photographer Steven Meisel followed.
After a short hiatus, Laura reemerged on the fashion scene with a new focus, signing with The Lions. I recently caught up with her to discuss modeling and her photography.
Tell us how you got started in fashion.
I was fourteen when a woman walked up to me in a restaurant and said I should be a model. Aside from taking artistic self-portraits I never thought about modeling. After finishing high school I gave it a serious try as it has always been my dream to travel the world and meet people. Within two weeks I had my catwalk debut in New York. That’s the beginning of the fairytale.
You’re a model, photographer and a writer. How would you define yourself?
I wouldn’t know how to describe myself other than just Laura, a living human being on planet earth. I try to do as many things that warm my heart.
What is it about the medium of photography that you connect with?
I always struggle to find an answer for that. Photography feels like a body part, like my kidneys or something. It’s just here and I don’t know why. It feels unnatural not doing it. I’ve been doing it since I was very young.
Photography: Laura KampmanPhotography: Laura KampmanPhotography: Laura Kampman
How do you think being in front of the camera as a model has helped you as a photographer?
I’ve worked with so many different photographers from professional to beginners, digital to film. By experiencing all these differences, I was able to discover what I like. I’ve learned lots of stuff about lighting and how to approach people in front of your camera to be able to capture them in a certain way. Before I started modeling I was planning on going to art school, but this has been the best photography class I could ever be exposed to.
How would you define your aesthetic?
It’s very personal and somewhat dream like. Introspective and raw. It’s the fragile things that touch me deep inside. Little seconds that turn into memories you’ll never forget. A stranger, smiling at me without telling me the reason. I like mystery, creating something that makes everyone feel something different.
What inspires you?
Anything that touches me. Not necessary beauty but pureness. Purity is beauty to me. It could be a view, the eyes of an old man shining like little stars, the freckles on the skin of a young girl, a person I had an amazing conversation with, the composition of garbage, the people I love, minds I find interesting. I could go on forever.
Photography: Laura KampmanPhotography: Laura KampmanPhotography: Laura Kampman
Who has been the biggest influence on you?
It hasn’t been one person, but a mix of different people and places in my life. If I had to choose two it would be Paolo Roversi and my boyfriend. I shot my first editorial ever with Paolo when I was sixteen and we spent an hour talking about photography and showing each other pictures. Ever since then I visit him once in a while and always leave the studio with a ton of magical inspiration.
My boyfriend is a painter and photographer too. He gave me my favorite camera and taught me a lot about film. We’ve done many exciting projects that we hope to publish in the right place one day.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I don’t have an answer for that. I take life day by day. I try to live every day in love and awareness. So many inner changes will happen in 10 years. Maybe by then I will be living somewhere on a mountain with my own chocolate cookie bakery and eating all the cookies myself. There’s a big chance that will happen.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
My big secret dream is to perform one day, singing and playing in a band. Whenever I close my eyes I see myself standing on a stage, singing my song while the crowd sings with me. The sun is just going down and makes the whole sky look like a rainbow. One day.
As one of my favorite models, Michele Hicks was a fixture on runways and magazines in the nineties before transitioning into acting. I recently caught up with her by phone to discuss modeling, roles for women in TV and her advocacy work.
Let’s start with you living in New York and getting into fashion.
I was in New York working in the night club business before I got into the fashion business. I worked the door, was a bar tender and then a manager. It was all timing you know. A lot of people in the fashion industry visited the club. People kept telling me I should try modeling. It was the early nineties and the look had changed. My look was more what was happening at that time so I took some pictures and I met with a couple of people and things happened quickly. At that point I left the night club business.
Was that when you were introduced to Steven Meisel and the point that your career took off?
Yeah. I went to an agency and there was an agent who took pictures of me and sent them to Steven. They asked me to come in and meet them and once that happened the agency was interested in signing me. My first two shoots were the safe sex campaign with Steven Klein and an Italian Glamour shoot with Steven Meisel.
That seems to be a theme among models I speak to. Once Steven gets into the mix that catapults them into the stratosphere.
I’m not sure how it is right now but definitely during that time. You know, if he is interested in you and shooting you then everybody else wants to shoot you too. I think it was a catalyst for a lot of people’s careers or at least in taking them to the next level.
Was modeling an aspiration of yours?
I tried to model earlier but my look just wasn’t in fashion at the time. I had to support myself so I didn’t have the option to keep pursuing something that wasn’t fruitful. I wouldn’t say it was a childhood dream, but it was definitely something I was interested in. I was always very interested in fashion, photography and clothes so it was a little aspirational but it didn’t seem realistic because I wasn’t getting any response. I put it on the back burner until people started telling me that I should really do it again.
At what point did you decide to transition into acting?
That was in the late nineties. I took a bunch of acting courses and intensive workshops to feel it out and see if it was something I was interested in. I knew I wanted to do something else. I knew I couldn’t model full-time forever. I also felt like I wanted to do something that creatively expressed myself better. L’Wren Scott told me about a script that her friends were trying to produce and said I’d be perfect for it. She told them about me and then I read the script and I was just obsessed with the part. That ended up being my first role. I remember calling my agent in Paris and saying this is what I’m doing next, this is my next career.
Did you have any reservations or concerns about the model-cum-actor label?
I did at first. It’s so different now, I wouldn’t care one bit today because everything is so mixed together. At the time models weren’t doing what actors were as much. I remember when I first started I stopped modeling because I thought I had to so I could be taken seriously. It probably wouldn’t have mattered.
What were some of the challenges with your transition into acting?
I didn’t really have too many. I was well known in the fashion business but people outside of the business didn’t know me as a model. I knew that my career as a model was going to end at some point so I had to make a transition. I have been lucky I have been able to model up until now and I’m forty. I also think doing other things keeps you interesting.
It certainly shows you to be a more dynamic individual. You have taken a lot of calculated risks in your life, one of them being opening a Pilates studio in the late nineties. How does risk factor into your decision-making?
You have to listen to your gut. With Pilates, I felt like it was an opportunity. There were no Pilates studios downtown and it hadn’t really hit in the media. The timing felt right. If you believe in something it doesn’t feel as much of a risk. It felt that it would be a missed opportunity if I didn’t do it.
Is it a fair assessment to say that you are somebody that trusts their instincts?
Yeah, whenever I don’t trust them it’s always bad. I’m not all calm and zen about it. I trust my instincts but I have the same anxieties that everybody else has. When you put things on the line you don’t know if it’s going to work out.
Let’s go back to acting. You have Public Morals on TNT coming out soon.
Yes, I do. I went to the premiere two days ago. It’s a huge cast of amazing actors. It’s a great part to play too. It’s set in 1960’s New York and there is a division called Public Morals in the police department that deals with vice crimes like gambling, prostitution and all of that.
Tell me about your character.
I play the wife of a mobster and her son is a cop.
Do you have a preference in terms of working in TV or movies?
Not anymore. Television is just offering so many opportunities, especially for women. A lot of time the characters are more interesting.
Many actors are talking about the lack of roles for older women. Maggie Gyllenhaal was told she was too old to play the love interest of an actor twenty years her senior.
I remember that.
You don’t hear it happening to men. I think it’s so absurd to say that a woman is not viable once she hits some arbitrary number.
Did you see the Inside Amy Schumerepisode “Last Fuckable Day”?
Yes, I love Amy.
That was really funny. I’m sorry, I love that skit and what they did. It’s something that’s not talked about. There are women that are given amazing characters. I think, especially as you get older, that there are more interesting characters on TV for women.
I think there are parallels between modeling and acting. I interviewed Cameron Russell and one of the things that we discussed was her TED Talk. She talked about the power of image. I think as you age you gain experience, but for women in this industry that’s not valued. They want some ingénue portraying somebody with the experience of a forty-year-old which seems ridiculous.
That always looks ridiculous when they do that though. You see it in their face and in their eyes. You can’t fake that kind of life experience and wisdom, so I think talented directors don’t do that for the most part. I understand what you are saying but I think that’s where TV and especially cable TV has come in and been able to offer more opportunities. One of the top dramas on TV is the Good Wife. Julianna Margulies is the lead and she’s in her late forties. Maggie Gyllenhaal was amazing in The Honourable Woman. I think TV is giving women more opportunities and more interesting characters but there is a double standard that has been going on like you said.
Yeah. There is one other thing I want to cover. I know you are heavily involved with the Treatment Advocacy Group. How did you get involved with them?
You know, it’s a very personal story for me. My brother is schizophrenic so I have seen what that does and how families are affected by that and what kind of support families need to help deal with that. We are in a situation in this country right now where the whole mental health system has basically been dismantled. Most of our seriously mental ill are either homeless, in prison or have families that are so drained trying to deal with it and it’s appalling. For twenty years I’ve advocated for my brother and tried to get him the services that he needed. The Treatment Advocacy Group are affecting policy change. There are two bills in Congress right now, one in the House and one in the Senate. They are trying to implement some kind of change in the system.
Is part of the work also destigmatizing mental illness?
They are doing a lot of work on that front too. Everybody I know knows somebody or has friends who have a family member that’s dealing with it so it’s pretty widespread. It should be an open conversation and it shouldn’t be something that people stigmatize.
Chicago, Illinois native David Smith began his modeling career working for power-house brands Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Oscar de la Renta and as the face of Gucci Pour Homme before making the transition into acting.
After taking a step back to re-evaluate, David enrolled at Columbia University. I caught up with him as he reflected on what he’s learned about himself and the sage advice that Patti Smith offered that resonated with him.
Tell us about how you were discovered.
I was discovered by a man named Sebastian McWilliams. I was about 15 at the time and I was on the Chicago Blue Line train on my way to school. Like any teen, I was half asleep at 7:15 a.m. when Sebastian approached me on the train. Sebastian and I became good friends and he was, for many years, a pseudo-parental figure in my life. Sadly, Sebastian passed away in 2007 from AIDS. He is dearly missed by those who knew him.
You were an aspiring actor before modeling. What were your thoughts about side tracking into fashion?
I didn’t know that I wanted to be an actor per se. I had a fascination, or maybe terror is a better word, at the thought of being seen or acknowledged by others. I remember a high school English class where the teacher would make us act out scenes from novels we were reading and recite passages directly from the text. I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified by these kinds of classes. When fashion came along I experienced the same emotions only it was in a professional setting and I had people around me, like Sebastian, encouraging me.
What did you discover about yourself through modeling?
I really learned about the world through the lens (please excuse the pun) of modeling. I traveled extensively for the first time in my life and I met people who I wanted to emulate, people who made me uncomfortable, and people with whom I would make life long friendships. I also learned things on the job. I think the “job” of modeling unlocked a more subtle side of myself. To be a good model one has to be present for the camera and ideally somewhat vulnerable. Through modeling I found a more sensitive and perceptive side of myself that I hadn’t yet discovered. I was honestly an awful model and spent a few years in New York and London with little success. Then one day it just clicked. I figured out that if I was perceptive of the clothes I was wearing, the music that was played, the space I was in, then I could find these moods, these other realities that would ultimately make for a better picture. Once I became adept at finding those different moods my interests in acting began to surface again.
What challenges did you face as you transitioned into acting?
My challenges in acting stemmed mostly from my expectations. I had very lofty goals as a beginner and I was quickly brought back down to earth. As a model entering the world of professional acting I found that there was a very specific role, a very specific kind of character that casting directors wanted me to play. Once I understood what they wanted from me I became less and less interested in the process. This is a problem that a lot of actors face, regardless of physical type, but in my case the roles I was consistently asked to audition for didn’t align with my own artistic goals.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
That I’ve been arrested three times, but never did any time!
What are you most passionate about and what motivates you?
I’m going into my senior year at Columbia University so I’m very passionate about the culmination of that experience. After spending close to a decade as a model and an actor I had thought that my chance to go to college had passed. It was something that I really wanted to do, it was important to me and I put the time into making it happen. School has been a huge part of my life the last few years and it’s been a great detour into academia and something that I will never regret. I’m motivated to make the most of the time I have left at Columbia. It’s a rare place where big ideas are always on the table and the students believe they can change the world. That energy is infectious and I’m grateful that I got to experience it.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Just to be patient. When I was in my early twenties I always felt like I had to have the pedal all the way down, that if I wasn’t charging toward something I would never get it. I read a quote by Patti Smith recently that I liked too. She said that you should always protect your name and not worry about money or any of the other stuff, but that if you just protected your name and did good work, everything else would fall into place. I like that.
What are your plans for the future?
School of course, but I’m also putting more energy into modeling again. I’ve been reunited with my old agent at IMG and I’m excited to see what happens. Although I stopped auditioning for acting roles when I started at Columbia, I still hold the belief that the years I spent auditioning and working as an actor were not for naught and that something will emerge to put those skills to use. That being said I’m still trying to live by the advice I would give my younger self: Be patient and protect your name.
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