Renee Thompson: Model Moment (PART 2)

Part 2 of my discussion with Renee Thompson...

SACHIN BHOLA: It’s a hustle.
RENEE THOMPSON: It’s a hustle! It’s not like we even get all the castings that the other girls get. We have to sneak into their castings and prove why we had to do that! When I first started going to Milan, Paris and Barcelona, I never got that 10-list casting… I had to steal my friends’ contacts -- and then I would book it!

SACHIN: I feel like when you are a minority model, you have to bring so much more to the table to prove yourself. What advice do you have for aspiring minority models?

RENEE: Do your research, build a tough skin and talk to people who love you to keep you grounded. Remember that it’s just a job. My advantage has been that I am very aware. How you treat people in the business, how you act and carry yourself – we as minority models have to be extra careful. We can’t pull a bitch stick out of nowhere. The models who are professional, well-mannered and show their personality are the ones with staying power. Clients want to work with them.

SACHIN: Renee Thompson, what direction do you anticipate the industry taking in regards to this issue?
RENEE: It’s fashion and things are always changing… it will get better. People are tired of seeing the same anonymous faces and want diversity. And just like everything else in life, sometimes you have to create your own opportunities and success will follow.

Thanks Renee!

Renee Thompson: Model Moment (PART 1)

Ever wondered what life was like for a model – a model of color? What if your race was démodé? Today’s minority models are drowning in the flood of Eastern Europeans monopolizing the industry. Amidst the chaos backstage at Montreal Fashion Week (Spring/Summer 09), I found a quiet corner to chat with Renee Thompson, whose thoughts on today’s hottest topic in the industry and tells-it-how-it-is attitude were as captivating as her look.

By Sachin Bhola
Photo: Courtesy of Nam Models

SACHIN BHOLA: Let’s jump right into it. The July 2008 issue of Italian Vogue, a.k.a. the “black issue,” featured only black models. It was the highest selling issue in the history of the magazine. What are your thoughts?

RENEE THOMPSON: The full cover-to-cover issue with only the top black models that have made it, and not the up and coming ones? Ya, I saw that one. Do you hear the hateration in my voice? Lol. I think it was great, but they’re depicting something we’ve known forever: Black girls are beautiful, they pose well and they’re on top of their game… we know all that shit already. Why don’t you (magazines) not try to fill your quota in one issue and spread it out? Now they’re just going to say “OK, we did our black thing, now can we go back to what we were doing?”

SACHIN: So do you think that ethnic models in fashion are trendy or something that serves to advance your position in the industry?
RENEE: Well it’s just like what they did to the Asian girls for the last two seasons: They were all over the place… doing major ad campaigns and being the ethnic counterpart to the white girl. Where are all of them now? I think black, Indian, Chinese, or any other race that is not visibly white is always a trend. In and out.