MODEL PROFILES: BETTE FRANKE

Born in the Netherlands on December 3^rd 1989, Bette Franke was discovered at the age of 14. Whilst out shopping with her mum in Amsterdam, Franke was spotted by Dutch modelling agent Wilma Wakker.

Franke made her international catwalk debut two years later, opening and closing the Jil Sander show in October 2005. Also appearing for Dries Van Noten, Hermes and Emanuel Ungaro, she was named ‘this year’s model’ by WWD. 

Bette’s rise was meteoric, with two contracts signed in early 2006: one for the new Stella McCartney fragrance ‘Stella in Two’, and a cosmetics fragrance with YSL. Franke had signed for two of the biggest brands just a year into her career. Her distinctive face – an intense gaze coupled with the classic sexbomb pout – helped to separate her from the slew of European models flooding the industry.

Returning to the runway in February 2006, Franke added Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Chloe, Givenchy, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs and Prada to her list of credits. She was dubbed a rising star by www.style.com and scored a role in the new Dolce & Gabbana campaign.  Her big-money signings kept coming with a solo campaign for Oscar de la Renta and appearances for Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss.

Franke’s look leant itself so deftly to campaign work, it wasn’t until August 2006 that her talents were applied to major magazine editorials. Appearing for the first time in French Vogue, Bette modelled with Jessica Stam and Han Jin. Bette was a shoo-in for French Vogue, at the time still under the directorship of Carine Roitfeld. Her sultry looks were perfect for French Vogue’s penchant for paying homage to icons such as Bardot and more recent faces such as Emmanuelle Beart and Isabelle Adjani. Described by designer Anna Molinari as having a ‘strong personality and harmonious curves’, Bette’s charm cast a spell that was clearly hard to resist.

Bette had her big runway moment in September 2006, with a mammoth 62-show season. Franke booked shows with Alberta Ferretti, Balmain, Chanel, Jonathan Saunders, Marni, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Vera Wang and Versace. A year and a half into her modelling career, Franke was becoming a favourite with the biggest designers in the world.

Shooting her second French Vogue editorial in October, in 2007 she continued to make in-roads with her campaign CV, becoming the face for Blumarine and Celine. Her career hit another high point in October with her very first appearance in Italian Vogue. Photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg, ‘Morning Beauty’ saw Bette modelling exquisitely detailed eveningwear. Beautifully nuanced, Franke gave a performance that lacked for nothing.

Bette’s career moved up another notch with a cover try for Japanese Numero in November. Appearing in the ready-to-wear season in February 2008, Bette booked shows with Anna Sui, Derek Lam, Hussein Chalayan, Michael Kors and Rue du Mail. It was one of her most aesthetically-diverse seasons to date, with Bette working the austere chic of Chalayan with Michael Kors’ Park Avenue glamour. 

Bette’s next RTW season saw her opening shows for Erin Fetherston and Jenny Packham in February 2009 (long before Packham had the Royal seal of approval). Franke’s ability to get picked by up-and-coming designers continued later in the year with Bette walking in shows for Todd Lynn and Mary Katrantzou. Franke ended the year with consecutive editorials for Italian Marie Claire, by photographed by Thierry Le Goues. 

Normally a regular on the catwalk, Bette did not return to the runway until September 2011, but her timing was impeccable. Making her comeback in style, Bette appeared in 54 shows including Alexander Wang, Burberry, Isabel Marant, Nina Ricci, Tom Ford and Valentino. She returned on top form in a season that was all about celebrating the feminine. Spring 2012 has already made its presence known, with pastel colours and delicate fabrics dominating the high-street. This look was just tailor made to make the most of Franke’s features. While some models offer quiet consistency, others shine when the mood of the moment coincides beautifully with what they have to offer. Franke was uniquely placed to take advantage of fashion’s softer season.

Bette ended the year with an appearance in V magazine. Profiling her agency, ‘DNA Powerhouse’ Franke joined current face of Armani, Milou van Groesen, Lindsay Ellingson, and Victoria’s Secret regulars Doutzen Kroes and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Bette’s return to fashion included her biggest couture season to date in January 2012. Walking for Chanel, Dior, Elie Saab, Giambattista Valli and Valentino, Franke’s love affair with the runway continued with another huge RTW season of over 50 shows. Franke’s standing in the industry had lost none of its power, with Bette appearing alongside new modelling talents in a piece for British Vogue. ‘Spring Forward’ featured the best of the S/S collections, including new faces Romee Strijd, Kati Nescher and Codie Young.

Her editorial credits kept coming, with a spread in February’s Harper’s Bazaar and an editorial for Spanish Vogue in March. ‘Uno, Dos, Tres...Mambo!’ saw Bette mastering classically fiery prints from Pucci, plus sultry picks from D&G and Sonia Rykiel.

Then came Franke’s biggest signing to date. Shot in Mexico by Deborah Turbeville, Bette was the latest name to become the face of Valentino. Working with Zuzanna Bijoch, Fei Fei Sun and Maud Welzen, Franke modelled the delicately-worked lace pieces against the backdrop of ancient ruins. Romanticism writ large, this was a perfect collision of model and campaign, celebrating Valentino’s new (and highly successful) exploration of soft, feminine fashion.

Spring 2012 has been Bette’s most prolific season in years, with an amazing 5 campaigns in circulation. Working with male model Harry Gilliam in the new Hermes campaign, Bette joins Anna de Rijk for Hogan and is photographed by Mikael Jansson for Dior Eyewear. Her laser-beam stare comes into its own here, with Bette’s beauty shining through the ad. In an age of laser surgery and contact lenses, eyewear is a tough sell. Bette’s performance in this campaign will have you reaching for your specs.

With two high-fashion editorials in April’s Dazed & Confused and Dutch Vogue, Bette has never been in higher demand. Modelling Twenties-inspired flapper fashion from Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Etro for Vogue and channelling psychedelic pin-up meets Marie Antoinette for Dazed & Confused, Franke is at the top of her game.  

It’s no surprise that this has been Bette’s season. Her looks lend themselves so perfectly to the big trend of the moment that she couldn’t help but clean up. No-one can deny that Bette’s career has been strong, packed with editorial and runway credits, but to get to that next level, a little luck can go a long way. As fashion turned to its more feminine side, Franke grabbed onto that opportunity, and in the process became one of the most popular models of the past 12 months. 

To be a career veteran at the age of 22 is only something that could happen in the modelling world, but Franke finds herself with a career that has never looked better, at a point where other models are contemplating their Plan B. 

Bette’s steady stream of editorial and runway work has ensured that she is now as hotly pursued as a newcomer fresh from their first season. Nine years after her remarkable discovery, Bette’s career is still managing to defy the odds and astonish us all.  A perfect marriage of skill and instinct, Bette Franke is proof that is never too late to be what you might have been. 

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: JAC

Born in Poland, 15th January 1994, Monika Jagaciak is already known by one name: Jac. A catwalk veteran at 16 years old, Jac is fashion’s newest runway prodigy.

Jac’s career began in 2007 when she was signed to IMG Models at the age of 13. In July, she scored her first magazine cover with French magazine Jalouse, photographed by Elina Kechiecheva.

That same year, she landed an incredible coup, becoming one of the faces of French heritage brand Hermes. The campaign was shot by Peter Lindberg and Jac worked alongside established model Daria Werbowy.

In 2008, she travelled to Japan, and her mixture of youth and editorial appeal made her an instant hit, scoring her the November cover of Japanese Elle. Also appearing on the cover for Japanese Harper’s Bazaar, Jac’s career really took off in 2009.

Just a month after her 15th birthday, Jac hit show season with a bang. Chosen to both open and close the Calvin Klein show, she also opened the Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti show and closed the Marc by Marc Jacobs runway collection. In addition to these honours, she also walked for Bottega Veneta, Burberry, D&G, Gucci, Jil Sander, Marni, Prada and Versace.

But her appearance in the Herve Leger show really earned her the title of most talked-about newcomer. Halfway down the runway, she took an unexpected tumble: her knees buckled and she fell heavily to the ground. The knock would be galling for an established model, but even more daunting to someone yet to earn their stripes. But the 15 year old rallied, got up and finished the show.

Despite the slip-up, Jac was nominated as a Top 10 Newcomer by http://www.models.com/ and a rising star by http://www.style.com/. The accolades were well placed, as news followed that Jac had been signed to an exclusive contract as the face of Calvin Klein. Following the likes of Kate Moss and Jessica Miller, it was an extraordinary achievement. Jac filled the rest of her year with editorial work, posing for Teen Vogue in April, French Vogue in June and Italian Vogue in September.

September proved to be a particularly good month for Jac, as she was named Rising Star by Teen Vogue. Adept at spotting new talent, getting the nod from the queen-bee of teen magazines proved to be a powerful ally in Jac’s corner.

To those who doubted that Jac was capable of doing runway at a high-fashion level (after the incident at Herve Leger), Jac’s S/S 2010 season proved otherwise. She opened shows not only for Calvin Klein, but Marni, Bottega Veneta, Etro and Pucci. She was also picked to close shows for Alexander Wang and Gianfranco Ferre – hardly small fry.

But Jac’s standing as an international runway model was put on hiatus when she was denied the chance to take part in Paris Fashion Week. Any models under the age of 18 were banned from participating, leaving Jac (and many others) to sit this one out.

However, Jac’s career continued to flourish, with editorial credits from W, Numero and Italian Vogue to finish off the year. In January 2010, she renewed her contract with Calvin Klein and shot an editorial for Italian Vogue with Steven Meisel.

Now aged 16, Jac progressed to haute couture, modelling for Armani Prive, Dior, Givenchy and Elie Saab, plus opening the show for Valentino. If the trip at Herve Leger had industry insiders questioning whether Jac was ready for a high-octane modelling career, her run of bookings silenced even the toughest of critics. Jac signed on to appear in a staggering 72 shows, featuring the very best of modern design talent. Walking for everyone from Balenciaga to Yves Saint Laurent, the list of bookings was proof that Jac’s career had come of age.

To be an established name by your 16th birthday is certainly unusual even by fashion standards, but it is by no means unheard of. Jac’s success may be treated as a novelty by the mainstream press, but starting early in modelling is nothing new.

Kate Moss was famously discovered aged 14; actress and model Brooke Shields landed the cover of US Vogue at the same age, and in 1988 Kimora Lee Simmons signed an exclusive contract with Chanel aged just 13 years old.

Even now, fashion has its fair share of early starters. Imogen Morris-Clarke signed with agency Storm aged 14; Hana Soukupova started modelling at 13; new model Amanda Norgaard is one year older than Jac and has already featured in shows for Chanel and Miu Miu. Rising star Keke Lindgard is the same age as Jac and is the face of Gucci eyewear.

Modelling is a high-stakes career but mastering the basics at an early age may not be the worst thing for a new model. The fashion world tends to be an easy target for criticism, but the reality is the image of fashion being a heady whirl of glamorous excess belongs to another age. Nowadays, it’s hard work and discipline running the show. The recession has claimed many top names, and no-one can afford to be caught slacking.

One of the most positive things a model can take away from the experience of modelling is a whole clutch of business skills. Learning how to work with other people; the value of being focused, on time and most of all leaving a good impression on go-sees and bookings can all be applied to the outside world.

Jac, as well as working with some of the most brilliant creative minds in the business, is getting a crash course in how to get ahead in the real world. The skills she has already learned – not allowing the fall at Herve Leger to faze her – are nothing short of invaluable. When Jac took a fall during the Herve Leger show in February 2009, far from damaging her career, 12 months on she booked an incredible 72 shows. Knowing that one mistake doesn’t equal disaster is an important life lesson at any age, but learnt young – it’s nothing sort of empowering.

To not allow someone to work because of their age, as happened in Paris Fashion Week, is a curious response to the ‘youth issue’. After all, athletes aren’t criticised for blossoming early, and are often encouraged to strive and achieve from a very early age, so why should models be treated differently?

Jac’s experience of high-fashion won’t always be positive – there will be tough assignments, difficult colleagues and unsociable hours. But it is the same with any job, any career. Some days the negatives outweigh the pay-offs: learning to push through an occasional bad day is something Jac can take with her when she decides to leave modelling.

Knowing how to handle the difficult parts of the job does take maturity, but maturity happens at different rates for all of us: setting an arbitrary limit on when someone is allowed to explore and develop their talent doesn’t take any of these factors into account. Someone may be ready to work at 15, and another model may not be emotionally or intellectually equipped by 19.

It’s clear that Jac has the potential to become one of fashion’s mainstays. She has proved herself to be someone who doesn’t give up at the first hurdle, and that is an instinct that cannot be taught. Already tipped to be the next ‘big thing’, the campaigns with Calvin Klein and Hermes are just the beginning.

As Jac enters the most crucial stage of her career, she is moving from ‘rising star’ to the ‘must-hire’ girl. With the world’s hottest design talent clamouring to work with her, the modelling industry should be prepared. Its newest supermodel has just arrived.

HELEN TOPE