MODEL PROFILES: JULIA NOBIS

Born on June 27^th 1992, Australian native Julia Nobis began modelling locally in 2009 at the age of 17. A year later, Julia went international when she signed with top agency Elite Models.

In February 2010, Julia debuted at Fashion Week, walking in the Calvin Klein show as an exclusive. The American label was, in hiring Nobis, continuing its tradition of championing new faces. From Kate Moss, to Lara Stone and now Daphne Groeneveld, Calvin Klein has been responsible for introducing new definitions of beauty to the world stage. Julia’s long-limbed look made her an obvious choice for the label’s no-frills aesthetic.

The influence of the Calvin Klein exclusive was immediate, with Julia’s runway CV including bookings from Topshop, Richard Nicoll, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu. She was subsequently featured by www.models.com as one of their Top 10 Newcomers.

In May, Julia appeared in editorials for both Italian and British Vogue. Nobis proved a natural at editorial, and her spread in Italian Vogue ramped up the pressure with photographer Steven Meisel behind the lens. ‘Bathing Beauties’ was Italian Vogue’s spin on a retro swimwear shoot. Classic shapes met with of-the-moment styling – it was a typical feature from the magazine, but Julia showed no sign of beginner’s nerves.

Julia got to make her couture debut in July when she appeared for Valentino. At 5’ 11”, Nobis is couture-perfect, and it put her in a select group of models who are runway all-rounders: equally at home in ready-to-wear as they are handling the demands of haute couture. Having made the move up to couture, Julia was now getting attention from labels already looking to hire for their Autumn / Winter campaigns.

Julia’s affinity with high fashion was spotted by design duo Proenza Schouler who chose her to take part in their new campaign. It was a signing that was totally in keeping with Nobis’ career to date. Working a little sportswear influence with geek chic, Proenza Schouler has been one of the most original labels to emerge in recent years. Julia’s calm, assured performance in a pared-down, nowhere-to-hide campaign went a long way in selling Proenza Schouler to the next fashion-buying generation.

With a 41-show season in September, including an opening and closing slot with Proenza Schouler, Julia was becoming the favourite of many of fashion’s best avant-garde talents, including Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders and Alexander Wang. Julia’s booking sheet was depicting a model that was making a serious impact with fashion’s A-list.

Julia’s editorial experience grew in September and October with back-to-back appearances for Dazed & Confused. In September’s issue, she appeared as a street punk with a scraped-back ponytail and winged eyeliner. The following month, she had a solo beauty shoot, creating a modern take on the Pre-Raphaelite look. Both appealed to Julia’s creativity: editorials at this level require a model that isn’t afraid of presenting beauty that’s outside the box, and Julia came ready to work.

2011 began with Julia reaching new heights in couture, walking for both Elie Saab and Chanel. Her high-fashion kudos took her home again, as Julia modelled for Australian Vogue. ‘The Rules of Attraction’, photographed by Max Doyle, showed Julia working old-school glamour, from goddess gowns to YSL’s Le Tuxedo. Nobis proved disarmingly good at transforming into the glamour girl. Considering Australia’s background in producing good eveningwear designers it is perhaps not so surprising. Think of Australian fashion and one tends to think in terms of swimwear. But it also has talent to boast of in the glamour department, with Alex Perry providing classic elegance and red-carpet heavy-hitter, Colette Dinnigan. It may not be as prolific as Milan or Paris, but Australian fashion holds its own, staying relevant by remaining individual.

Racking up an impressive 54 ready-to-wear shows in February, Julia returned to her left-field roots in March with an Italian Vogue beauty shoot. Photographed by Emma Summerton, Nobis features in a spread inspired by 70’s glam rock icon Joan Jett.

She appeared again in Australian Vogue in April, this time in an editorial showcasing Giorgio Armani’s eveningwear collection. But the magazine, in recognition of Julia’s achievements, then featured her on their May cover plus a leading editorial. Here we see Julia in more familiar territory, working a teal feathered dress with red and yellow hair. It was exuberant, joyful and thoroughly individual, and perfect working material for Julia who aced both cover and editorial. The spread, ‘I Want Candy’, was a pitch-perfect review of every major Spring / Summer collection from Valentino to Prada.

Julia’s great run of editorial and runway work brought her more big-money campaigns, including a notable appearance for heritage label, Balenciaga. Working alongside models Liya Kebede and Milou Van Groesen, the campaign works on the element of surprise, presenting us with two standard fashion images, but distorting the fashion metaphor by placing them side by side.

The first sees the models against the dramatic arches of Spanish architecture from Gaudi. Grand, epic and beautiful, it is a familiar image for high-fashion, marrying the work of a great artist with the craftsmanship of the clothes. The second image is another well-known fashion image, this time back in the studio, featuring the collection against a graphic, pop-art background. Playing on our expectations and inverting them, the two images are complete opposites and shouldn’t work when side by side but the uniting factor, the thing that binds them together, is the clothes. The campaign, like many of Balenciaga’s strongest adverts, succeeds for the very reasons it should fail.

Julia headed back to the runway in September and had a mammoth season, with over 72 shows. Opening shows for Peter Som, Rebecca Taylor, Dries Van Noten and Alexander McQueen, Nobis’ strengths as a blue-chip catwalk model are finally being recognised. It is rare, even in today’s industry, to find a model that is so adept at working the most avant-garde designs as well as the more traditional work of money-making labels such as Gucci and Chanel. But the breadth of runway work Julia has undertaken focuses in on why Julia has become so in demand: with this model, there are no limits.

In October, Julia made her editorial debut for American fashion bible, W. Photographed by Craig McDean, Julia featured with Ming Xi and Jess Gold in fashion ’groups’, ranging from high-octane glamour to hippie luxe. Julia expanded her editorial CV again in November with a double appearance in V magazine. Appearing in ‘Faces of Now’ and ‘New Models, New York’, Julia was photographed in a series of beautiful black and white portraits. The stillness and concentration required for this type of work is evident in Julia’s unwavering focus. The resulting photographs are undeniably high-fashion, but gorgeous in their simplicity.

Julia is set to finish 2011 with even more runway work. This time she has made appearances for pre-fall shows from Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. An appetiser to the main Autumn / Winter shows arriving in February 2012, these mini pre-collections form a bridge between the main ready-to-wear seasons. A relatively new innovation, the pre-collections are getting as much attention as the main shows, giving us a preview to what we’ll be wearing next. Graphic, Sixties lines are already in the frame for Autumn 2012, with Michael Kors showing bold, funnel-neck coats. With fashion consumption moving at an ever-faster pace, the return of familiar shapes acts as an anchor for the consumer – a token of the expected in a fashion landscape where the rules are continually shifting.

In her work with fashion’s edgiest designers, photographers and magazines, Nobis has also been busy defying the stereotype of bronzed, Aussie beauty, along with her peers Catherine McNeil, Alice Burdeu and Abbey Lee Kershaw. Just as Elle McPherson pioneered a wave of athletically-shaped models in the late 1980’s, Nobis, Kershaw, McNeil and Burdeu are persuading the fashion industry that if they thought to know what to expect from Australian models, they were wrong.

From Alice Burdeu’s alabaster skin, to Abbey with her career that defies the idea that money-makers can’t be high-fashion, the wave of talent emerging from Australia is proving to be one of the most exciting in decades. Julia is the latest model to join this group, but her look, just as unexpectedly Australian, makes her unique even among these girls. Where McNeil and Kershaw wow in big-money campaigns, Nobis becomes Australia’s latest editorial hit: a truly brilliant model, across the board. As fashion continues to operate in a rapidly expanding universe, and the role of models continues to grow within it, Julia’s skill in every aspect of fashion will make her highly coveted. In 2012, Nobis is set to become not only a respected name on the runway, but that versatile face, the anchor that makes you look twice. As bets on fashion’s next superstar go, this will be the safest one you’ll make all year.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: ZUZANNA BIJOCH

Zuzanna Bijoch was born in Poland in 1994 and her connection with the modelling world began at an early age. Aged 13 years old, Zuzanna entered and won a D’vision modelling contest, signing with NEXT Models that same year.

The agency chose to develop their new talent, with Bijoch travelling to Tokyo in 2009 to accrue some modelling experience. In July 2010, Zuzanna made her couture runway debut, walking for Georges Chakra.

She made her ready-to-wear catwalk debut in September 2010, making a splash as an exclusive signing for Miu Miu. Favoured by the Italian label, her other bookings included Jason Wu, L’Wren Scott, Marchesa, Marni, Tory Burch and Prada.

The sign of approval from Prada was made official in early 2011 when it was announced that Zuzanna would be one of their faces for the Spring / Summer campaign. Working alongside Tatiana Cotliar, Arizona Muse, Mariacarla Boscono and Kinga Rajzak, Zuzanna participated in a campaign that was to define the look of S/S 11. Photographed by Steven Meisel, the mix of nautical stripes and baroque swirls in blue, green and yellow was decadence meets discipline. Counting as one of their most visually dynamic collections, it was cerebral fashion anarchy, and S/S 2011 was Prada’s season for the taking.

The effect of Bijoch’s inclusion in the Prada ads was immediate. In February 2011, she opened RTW shows for Rue du Mail, Thakoon and Victoria Beckham, closing shows for J. Mendel and Balenciaga. Zuzanna scored an amazing 58 show appearances, including Alexander McQueen, Chloe, Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Prada, Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, Sonia Rykiel, Valentino, Versace and YSL.

Zuzanna had finally arrived on the fashion circuit, thanks to Prada’s patronage. The label’s star-spotting ability was right on the mark, with Bijoch working with a wide range of designers from feminine chic at Alberta Ferretti to sexing it up at Gucci. Appearing in every major show of the season, Zuzanna was a true fashion favourite.

Filling the next few months with editorial work for magazines such as Dazed & Confused, Bijoch travelled to Paris in July for couture season, walking for Dior, Givenchy and Valentino. At 5’ 9”, Bijoch is two inches shorter than most haute couture models, but her runway prowess marked her out as a natural.

The same month saw Zuzanna take centre stage as a cover girl, appearing in both an editorial and on the cover of Mexican Vogue. Her editorial, ‘Gracia Eterea’, is pure sun-swept elegance, showcasing classic fashion, from Ferragamo, Bottega Veneta and Halston.

Zuzanna visibly transforms in this editorial, wearing the classic pieces effortlessly. Hunched high-fashion poses have their place, but knowing how to work your body to create elegant, fluid lines is an art. Few get it right, but those that do, see their earning potential flourish.

Zuzanna’s next editorial, however, could not be more different. Working with photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, ‘Strict’, for Interview magazine was a fetish-themed editorial featuring Candice Swanepoel, Anais Pouliot, Emily Baker and Saskia de Brauw.

The theme of the shoot was a dark substitute for Autumn’s retro fantasies. In this series of provocative images, Zuzanna exudes a sultry softness that keeps the content fashion-forward, not top-shelf. With awkward camera angles and angular poses, the shoot was certainly button-pushing, but never exhibitionist. Bijoch’s strength and versatility in editorials was rewarded when she booked not only one, but three of the biggest campaigns of A/W 11: Chloe, Proenza Schouler and Louis Vuitton.

The Chloe ads, shot by David Sims, are the familiar sun-dappled vintage look that has become the visual shorthand for the label. Since its revival in the late 90’s under Stella McCartney’s directorship, Chloe has emerged as one of the labels most able to deliver what women want from their clothes. It takes the classic components of fashion – jackets, straight-leg trousers, bias-cut dresses – and re-works them into season must-haves. To model Chloe successfully, the fashion edge has to be softened, and in this campaign, Zuzanna joins forces with Sigrid Agren, Arizona Muse and Malgosia Bela to create images of women who are not slaves to fashion, but are freed by it.

Zuzanna’s second campaign is for Proenza Schouler. Bijoch carries the campaign solo, wearing the signature bright colours and geometric pattern blocking that forms the retro feel of the label. Famous for its ‘PS1’ satchels, defining its look on the runway and beyond has been crucial in creating a brand that’s developed, well-rounded and progressing ever forwards. Zuzanna demonstrates her easy affinity with high-fashion, wearing the campaign look as easily as a pair of jeans, making us not only appreciate Proenza Schouler, but covet it. The label needed a strong campaign identity; and with Zuzanna at the helm, it’s job done.

The last advert Zuzanna will appear in this year is one of the blockbuster campaigns of the season. Shot by Steven Meisel, the Louis Vuitton look is flying the flag for military chic.

Always popular during autumn and winter, the strong, body-defining tailoring of military-themed coats and jackets help in taking the sting out of cold winter days. The label is pinning its hopes on our love of perennial A/W classics, rather than fashion nostalgia.

As a collection, it is remarkable for being so different to other labels who are delving into fashion’s back catalogue. Vuitton’s creative director, Marc Jacobs, shows why he is a sure thing for the top job at Dior. Never afraid to be the first at heading in a new direction, after the pastels and sweetness forecast for Spring 2012, we may find ourselves in the mood for something a little tougher this time next year.

This September, Bijoch faces her third RTW season and so far has been seen in several shows. Scoring opening honours at Derek Lam and acting as the closer for Diane Von Furstenberg, to date Zuzanna has also appeared for Alexander Wang, Gucci, Versace, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, D&G and Moschino.

The word from the front row already is a noticeable lean towards fashion’s gentler side. With pictures in from the New York, London and Milan Fashion Weeks, there is a studied softness in the colour palette with muted colours: duck egg blue, sage, primrose yellow and white all featuring heavily in numerous collections. Some of the biggest impressions have been made on our turf, with both Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou already jostling for show of the season.

After years of celebrating tough, urban fashion, the tide seems to be turning with many designers choosing to explore their softer side. Gentler fabrics and brighter colours are becoming the norm across the seasons. Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey was one of the chief exponents of the urban look, with head-to-toe black and bags covered in stud-work. But his newest collections are a complete about-turn, with 60’s inspired coats in every shade from cornflower blue to pumpkin.

The idea that a particular colour range can only be suitable for a particular season has been challenged by designers wanting to look at new ways of wearing colour. The usual colours for autumn (red, yellow, orange) have been augmented to include brights more usually associated with summer: pink, green and blue.

This widening of our perception has heralded an end to the reign of urban fashion. As ubiquitous as it was useful, the street uniform of leather leggings, hardware and lashings of black has served us well. It was a look that could be punctuated with texture – shearling was often featured – but the need for texture, for softness, eventually became too hard to resist.

The core of this change is embedded in our economical turmoil. If we dressed for battle during the early part of the recession, as we now do our best to ‘keep calm and carry on’, what we need is comfort.

The abundance of tweed, lace, calfskin and shearling on this year’s catwalks go a long way to explaining our desire to be cosseted. We want to be wrapped up in cosiness, with texture providing us with a fourth fashion dimension. The feel of clothes has been neglected over the past decade, with our attention focused on their visual impact. How clothes feel next to the skin is rapidly becoming one of fashion’s major steering factors.

The theme of softness continues beyond outerwear with chiffon and silk lending themselves brilliantly to the 70’s-style pussy-bow blouses seen at Chloe, and the star-spangled jumpsuits from Dolce & Gabbana. The lightness of the looks coming off the runway is about freedom, not constriction. It’s not only our range of movement that gets a break this winter: the capacious silhouettes of cocoon coats and capes give us room to relax and take stock. If you’re already feeling the pinch, the gentleness of a cocoon shape won’t fence you in. When we’re all feeling the pressure, fashion lightens the load with collections filled with airy, dreamy looks that reassure and comfort us.

It’s this fashion landscape that Zuzanna will inherit in 2012. With an already-proven track record as an interpreter of fashion’s softer side, Bijoch stands to make it big next year. Her ability to fuse strength with softness will prove invaluable as the fashion world moves its tough-guy act out of the spotlight in favour of a look that’s soft on the surface.

But don’t be fooled: fashion’s new affection for softness isn’t about denial; it’s right in the action, with a core of strength that’s there, even if you can’t see it. In times like these, fashion is far from being frivolous: it has something very profound to say about the art of survival. 2012 will be a quiet show of strength, but no matter what, fashion has our back.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: CARMEN KASS

Carmen Kass has been a visible presence on the world’s runways for over a decade.

Born in Estonia, 1978, Kass is working (and working hard) at an age where most models are getting comfortable with the idea of being retired. But Kass is still commanding attention, with current campaigns including Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez and Max Factor.

To be relevant for this long, and without the backing of a media empire, takes some doing. Truly a ‘model’s model’, Kass is well regarded within the industry, and still maintains a steady balance of editorial print work with runway appearances. Her longevity has endured because Kass delivers impact on all fronts. Most models have a leaning towards a particular medium, or actively prefer print work (editorials and covers) to runway, but Kass is uniquely placed because she is equally strong at both disciplines.

Kass was discovered in 1992 by an Italian modelling scout. Travelling through Estonia, the scout stopped off at a supermarket and discovered 14-year-old Carmen.

In 1996, Kass moved to Milan (and then Paris) to pursue a modelling career. She did not have to wait long for success, as in September the following year she found herself walking in runway shows for Chanel and Versace. Not a bad start by anyone’s standards.

Her career blossomed, with fragrance contracts from Dior in 2000, a Pirelli calendar shoot in 2001 and several runway credits including Givenchy, Balmain, Marni, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino Couture.

It became self-evident very early on in Kass’ career that she would make an indelible mark on the runway. Her walk, once seen never forgotten, quickly became her signature. The stride that embodied confidence and sensuality was a fashion crowd-pleaser in the years before the Brazilian stomp became the industry standard.

Hired to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2002, Carmen (at that point not well known outside fashion circles) worked the runway with effortless aplomb. Kass, not necessarily the most commercially beautiful, stormed the show and was consequently signed up for the next show in 2003. Hiring Kass was a gamble for the lingerie brand, but it was a decision that paid off and explains why they are so keen to hire new names, their latest recruits including Chanel Iman and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley.

The strength of Kass’ walk helped her forge connections with designers: she opened and closed the Oscar de la Renta shows for Autumn & Winter, and Spring & Summer 2002, doing exactly the same for Roland Mouret’s shows in 2005. Her walk took her to the heart of couture, walking for Givenchy, Valentino and Versace, plus additional catwalk credits with names such as Gucci, Carolina Herrera and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2004, it was reported that she was now able to command $200,000 for every catwalk appearance. Clearly designers considered it money well spent.

In 2006, Carmen entered the ‘campaign’ phase of her career, signing contracts with DSquared, Michael Kors and Chloe, and in 2007, landing 10 campaigns in 1 year including Versace, Gap, Ferragamo and, once again, Michael Kors.

Her affinity with the Michael Kors label continues to this day, as Kass remains the face of his fragrances, as well as opening and closing his catwalk shows in 2008 and opening the Spring & Summer 2010 show in New York just this September. Also walking for designers such as Isabel Marant, Balmain and Proenza Schouler, it is astonishing to think that Kass is still working with the best of the cutting-edge designers 12 years after her catwalk debut.

Her ongoing popularity isn’t hard to analyse. Notoriously difficult to replicate, Carmen’s walk defies interpretation. A good walk may be an advantage for any model, but a great walk really does last forever.

Imbibing clothes with personality while keeping them the area of focus, is the most difficult part of runway modelling (after mastering the heels). A model’s job is to give a designer’s vision a sense of identity and purpose on the runway so buyers and editors can assess the collection and crucially who would be its potential customer. To get an idea of how to pitch a designer’s work to their reader or customer, the coal-face of the fashion industry has to be able to recognise, at a glance, who the designer is really designing for. Fashion is about fantasy, yes, but at the end of the day, fantasy doesn’t pay the bills. Having a great model that understands this is the best asset a designer can have. Carmen Kass, with that cool, analytical brain, understands very clearly the fiscal connection between fantasy and reality. One feeds the other, and together they form a coherent brand for the designer. Knowing your customer is as crucial as having a sartorial point of view. Trying to survive without either is virtually impossible.

A competent walker will always find work, but someone who really makes their walk a part of themselves will see the benefits. Carmen is so well-loved because she is a true original: there is no-one else like her. She is not a headline-grabbing ‘classic beauty’, but her look has stayed the distance because it is versatile, and unique.

The importance of the runway walk is once again front row and centre with new kid Karlie Kloss. The American model has wowed the fashion circuit with her controversial ‘death stare’ swagger. Like Carmen, Karlie’s fame is attributed to her ability to imbue any designer’s collection with personality and character. Such is her popularity online; that a video of her giving a runway tutorial claims over 45,000 hits. Now with a fragrance contract with Marc Jacobs to her credit, Karlie is hitting the big-time and looks destined to follow in Carmen’s footsteps, racking up 64 shows in autumn 2008. Whether Karlie’s ascent would have happened so quickly without that devastating sucker-punch of a walk is impossible to gauge, but it proves that a seriously good walk can still take you places in the fashion world.

What is fascinating is how interest in fashion has not only developed, but diversified. There is a definite shift of attention towards the ‘live’ element of fashion: its runway shows. With facilities like YouTube, having a pass to Bryant Park is no longer required to see the latest shows.

Virtually all the major players of Spring & Summer 2010 are already available to view online.
Done right, runway shows can be miniature pieces of theatre, with the big names really putting in the hours to make a truly memorable show. Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and Prada all make the effort to produce a show that will be talked about as much as the clothes. Again, its fantasy paired with reality: pitching a dream to sell a jacket. What’s more, it works.

Prada’s pre-historic theme with models teetering on 6” heels; any Alexander McQueen show of the past 5 years, and Marc Jacobs taking us on a guided tour of American fashion history. These moments become markers in fashion’s progress because, unlike theatre, we can re-play and re-visit them on demand. They become as much of the fashion experience as buying a copy of Vogue or visiting a boutique. Technology is fusing fashion to the next decade, and where it goes from here – well, you can’t help but get excited by the possibilities.

Just when you thought fashion had lost the personal touch, it has found a way to make itself accessible. In the next decade, the challenge will be pursuing this line of thought. Designers are realising the power created by making that one-on-one connection, and the return to favour of models that exhibit guile and daring on the catwalk is no accident. Aloof and abrupt just doesn’t cut it anymore. We want personality and wit but most of all, we want to be entertained.

HELEN TOPE