“I save up a lot of money and just go shopping for streetwear.”
fashion weekor in the month, rather, A series of non-stop moving parts It’s essential to the roaring machine, but at its heart is the model. After all, the long-awaited designer collection cannot be presented to the public. Editor, buyerinfluencer, celebrity without them (or Anyway, anyway).
like below set designer, nightlife promoter, photographer, influencer wrangler And even more flower shop Persons involved, models Anok YaiFashion Month begins well before the first official day of Fashion Month. new york fashion week — and she’s a quick learner considering her career started just two years ago.
The Egyptian-born Sudanese-American model’s rapid rise to fame seems like a fairy tale. In 2017, she caught the eye of street style photographer Steve Herhill at a Howard University homecoming event and snapped her photo. After he posted a shot of Yai. InstagramHis DMs, and Her DMs exploded, and a completely different career path emerged for the then-Plymouth State University chemistry major.
Yai soon signed with Next Model Management and made history as the second black model to open Prada’s fall 2018 runway show, following Naomi Campbell in 1997. Since then, she has focused on championing inclusivity and diversity in the industry, while also working with high-profile artists and artists. Famous gigs along the way.
Yai has become the face of Estée Lauder, appearing in seasonal campaigns for Prada and Fendi, as well as the Nike Spring 2018 Riccardo Tisci style shoot.Her fashion editorial portfolio includes: trend Italy, Englishman Vogue, V Magazine And recently, Elle Alongside grace elizabeth inside January 2019 issue. Unsurprisingly, Yai’s runway resume is similarly stacked. pradaof course, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Givenchy, saint laurent, chloe, versace. She also just walked in Givenchy, chanel haute couture In January.
Ahead of NYFW, Yai managed to fit a chat with a fashionista into her jam-packed schedule to discuss why fittings take 10 hours, how to “race” from show to show, and her worst fashion looks. The components of the monthly crisis were explained.
When do you start preparing for Fashion Month? What does it take?
I work out all the time, but a month before my first show, I start working out a lot and try to get my diet in order. In my quest for a more perfect walk, I spend a few hours walking in front of the mirror to see what I’m doing and what I’d like to change.Protects against hair damage [with] Cornrows. I made a bunch of hair masks and actually had someone braid my hair the night before fashion week started. So when I go to most shows, most of my hair is already done. Then I just save up a bunch of money and go shopping for streetwear.
Why is the shopping part so important to a modeling career?
My first fashion week, I never expected my outfit to look like this. It would have that much of an impact on my image.. But as soon as I left the show, I quickly realized that hundreds of photographers were taking photos of all the models, and the photos they took of the models could, depending on their street style look, potentially set a trend. I noticed that. . And it’s also how people see how you express yourself. So before fashion week, I try to buy as many clothes as possible so that I can wear different outfits for each show.
They also have to keep track of outfits that have already been photographed and put together outfits for the next fashion week in another country. So just take a photo of yourself before you leave and go from there.
When do you start casting and fitting and what are they like?
The cast is different for each model. Some models may do up to 15 castings in a day. Luckily, I don’t have to go to too many castings. I mainly go for fittings.
For fittings, you can take 5 minutes, but because I need to get my look ready, or because my look wasn’t ready, or because the designer decides what look they want to give me. I once showed up for a fitting 10 hours early because I couldn’t. . That’s crazy. So you go to the fitting, there’s maybe five models, maybe 20, and then you just wait at the designer’s headquarters. They call your name, you go to the dressing area, get dressed, and when you go into another room, there’s usually a designer, stylist, casting director, and a few seamstresses there. They tell you to walk for them, and depending on how well it goes, you can get that look for the show, or the designer can get you that look. They may keep changing costumes because you may not like them.
Obviously, there are a lot of fittings before fashion week starts. But leaving mid-show doesn’t mean the day is over. Go to a fitting, go to the next show, maybe that he has a photoshoot in between the two, maybe go to another fitting at midnight or so, and end the day at 1 o’clock. in the morning.
Take us through a busy day during Fashion Month — what does it look like?
So my busiest day was Paris Fashion Week. I started my day, my call time was 6am so I had to wake up at 5am So I got dressed and arrived at the show at 6am The show was around 9am When the show ended, I went out, took some streetwear photos, and went back to the hotel to change my outfit for the next show. After the show, I went to the fitting. After the fitting, I went back to the hotel, changed into my next outfit, and went to the next show. By this point it was probably around 8pm and I had two more fittings and I think it was around 12:30am when I got back to the hotel after fittings for the day. 6am, let’s do it again.
What if I’m late between shows? How can I get to the show on time?
When we have back-to-back shows, we usually hire a driver for the whole day. The exhibition hall is always crowded. Calling a Lyft or Uber will take even more time than hiring a driver yourself. That means your driver will be waiting for you, and you can quickly snap some street style photos and rush to your next show. However, if you really have limited time, your bike may be waiting outside the venue. All the models just cycle and literally race to the next show. However, this occurs more often in Europe.
There seems to be a long wait time. What do you do when that happens?
You can read or take a quick nap there as you are very, very tired. You may actually have an interview during the fitting.
What is the fashion week crisis for you and how was it resolved?
All critical moments occur on the runway, or when models are about to appear on the runway. One time I was wearing a top that had a buckle and the buckle broke and my whole chest was sticking out and the show had already started. So it took me a few minutes to sew the dress together so that my breasts were not exposed.
Some shows had two looks, and sometimes the models were dressed up in two looks, but the entire lineup was jumbled together. So as the models were being chased out of the show, we really had to figure out which way to go and who was going where. It was quite busy. Most of the time, things always work out somehow.
How do you find time to manage your social media during Fashion Month?
Is difficult. So I try to take as many photos as possible during fashion month. But there’s so much chaos going on 24/7 that I actually forget to take pictures. That’s why I get street style photographers to take pictures of me and send them to me via DM or email. Please post From there.
What does Fashion Month look like to you this year?
We’re going to do some shows in New York and we’re going to do some shows in London. Most of my shows will be in Milan and Paris.
What would you like to do if you had free time while abroad?
Usually, if I can find a model who doesn’t work at the same time as me, which most of the time I don’t, I try to go to famous new places in that city.Like Paris Fashion Week, I went to Crazy Horse [cabaret] Along with one of the models. My memory is very bad. I can’t remember anything. There were times when I couldn’t remember which country I was in. I had to stop and think.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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