Kai Newman Among Top 10 Newcomers In Fashion - Allman Town Teen Takes Fashion World By Storm
The misguided notion that 'nothing good comes from the ghetto' was further debunked by Saint International's latest star, Kai Newman. The fast-rising star who hails from Allman Town (next door to National Heroes Circle), has been blazing the runways for some of the best designers in the fashion world. The leggy teen was discovered by Saint CEO Deiwght Peters while walking home from the dentist with her mom.
Peters was heading downtown for a meeting with the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation for Fashionblock when he noticed Newman. He spoke briefly to the reserved youngster whose smile, he said, was a sure deal clincher. She won the prestigious 2013 Fashion Face of The Caribbean, earned a management contract from Saint International, and the rest is history.
Chaperoned by Peters, Newman was flown to Milan by Why Not Models, where the Jamaican beauty was ushered into a meeting with the global style-setting house of Gucci. She was promptly booked by some of the world's top design brands, including Gucci (her first European show), Alberta Ferretti, Tod's, Costume National, Philipp Plein, SportsMax, and the piece de resistance - Jil Sander.
"The first client we saw was Gucci, as soon as we arrived," Peters recounted to Outlook. "Then we got the call-back for rehearsals the next morning and we knew something big was about to happen. We still prayed. When we returned to the agency afterwards, we got the confirmation that Kai was the only model of colour apart from current No. 1 model in the world and supermodel of the moment, Joan Smalls," said Peters.
It was all about Kai for the most selective casting directors and designers, who shortlisted her for every major show. Additionally, her appearance with the world's top models boosted her profile. To top it off, even before hitting the runways in Paris, the respected website models.com listed Kai among the Top 10 Best Newcomers of the season. The paparazzi moments outside the show venues were overwhelming.
After Milan, Newman arrived in Paris with much anticipation and selectively appeared for Dries Van Noten, Vanessa Bruno, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, and Acne Studios.
LIVING A DREAM
To say the Holy Trinity student from one of Jamaica's negatively branded inner-city communities was living a dream would be an understatement. An all-expense paid trip to the culturally rich fashion capitals of the world, meeting supermodels and industry veterans such as make-up maestro Pat McGrath or legendary hairstylist Guido, is nothing short of a model's dream world.
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