Nicolas Ghesquière has always gravitated toward models who bring something extra to the table. They might be humanitarians à la Liya Kebede or art history aficionados like Marte Mei van Haaster, but the designer’s favorite faces always have a compelling mix of elegance and intelligence. The latest to land a worldwide Vuitton exclusive is Ford Models’ Katy O’Kane, a beautiful and bookish California girl who was scouted at a local mall while out with her mother. The intensity of fashion week is a complete 180 from life as a high schooler, but O’Kane relies on her studies to keep her grounded. “Doing as good as I can in school always makes me feel normal and mentally focused among all the chaos of the industry,” O’Kane says.
Describing the experience as both surreal and exciting, O’Kane credits Ghesquière with keeping her calm. “Working with somebody so exceptional and genuine as Nicolas really took away the nerves I had before going into the casting,” says O’Kane. “I could not help but be so relaxed, and he gives me a lot of inspiration to achieve anything in my life, just like he has with Louis Vuitton.”
Walking Vuitton provided O’Kane with a series of firsts, including her first modeling gig outside the U.S. “I have never flown out of the country for any kind of modeling, so flying to Paris definitely made things different in the greatest way imaginable.” Participating in the show meant time away from friends and family, but the atmosphere behind the scenes was welcoming. “People really care about you here [at Vuitton], and it feels like such a privilege to be part of the process, seeing this amazing collection come together.” O’Kane took the opportunity as a learning experience, using her time to get to know the talents backstage. “I would have to say I have the most fun hearing about the lives of the photographers, designers, hair, makeup, and stylist team. I love getting to know the people I work with on set and remembering each person in their own way.”