AGENCY PROFILES: ELITE

Their name means prestige and privilege; the best. It is a tough remit to live up to, but Elite model management has secured itself an unshakeable foothold in the modelling industry.

First, the statistics:

Elite is a 35-agency-strong network, managing over 800 models across 5 continents.

It has bases dotted all over the globe, including New York, Milan, Paris, Barcelona and Copenhagen.

It is responsible for the most influential model-scouting process in the business. The ‘Elite Model Look Contest’, launched in 1983, has found some of the most significant names in the industry, and in turn, has helped shape the look of successive generations of models. What Elite finds, the fashion world wants.

Elite’s list of clients includes Chanel, Dior, Versace, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. With a client roster like this, there is no chance of an Elite model working under the radar.

A year’s contract with Elite is offered as the grand prize to contestants of ‘America’s Next Top Model’. It is a prize beyond monetary value in terms of what it can do for a new talent’s career, which is goes some way to explaining why the competition between the contestants has a tendency to get a little ugly.

Elite has also recently celebrated its 5 millionth booking – perhaps the most impressive statistic of all.

Elite has a stellar pedigree within the modelling community – a history based on its unflinching pursuit of excellence. But it still tempts the best of new modelling talent onto its books. Recent signings have included two of the hottest names in contemporary fashion: Ali Stephens and Coco Rocha.

The process of an agency can be best understood by the career trajectory of one of its brightest stars – and Coco Rocha is in danger of eclipsing them all.

Born in Canada in 1988, growing up, Rocha had no real handle on the world of fashion. It wasn’t until she was discovered by a modelling scout at an Irish dancing contest, that Rocha began to learn her own value in terms of high-fashion currency.

Signed with Elite, Rocha met with photographer Steven Meisel, which lead to a Vogue Italia cover in March 2008; the highest accolade the industry has to offer any new model. Elite’s expertise in nurturing young stars, coupled with the agency’s heady international presence within the fashion world, ensured that Coco’s rise within the ranks was unimpeded.

She racked up appearances on numerous catwalks for designers such as Prada, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga and Chanel. With such an impressive hit-list, anyone this much in demand must be doing something right.

Where Elite succeeded with Rocha was taking her from fashion girl to the fashion girl, and in doing so, they played to her rather unusual strengths. Securing her a spot in the Jean Paul Gaultier A/W 2007 show, Coco knocked everyone sideways with an unforgettable appearance. Gaultier found out about her dancing background and insisted she start and finish the show – an honour in itself. But she wasn’t to walk down the runway – she had to dance it. Her exuberant Irish dancing caused a sensation, with American Vogue dubbing it the ‘Coco Moment’.

Signing Rocha was a particularly smart move for Elite. Her popularity with fashion editors and photographers boiled down to her unflappable instinct when it came to interpreting stories for editorial shoots. Her intelligent approach to movement and an awareness of how the body creates lines and shapes on camera can be directly attributed to her dance education.

Normally, a model with dance training doesn’t do that well. His or her formal training with emphasis on good posture gets in the way of creating avant-garde shapes and just doesn’t translate on film that readily. But Coco had the best of both worlds, and together they worked in perfect harmony. Rocha had the modelling instinct, and that is what has kept her, and her agency, ahead of the pack.

Elite have surpassed their competitors by being bold enough to take risks on signing faces that do not necessarily fit the fashion mould. On paper, Coco Rocha was a potentially shaky investment. The disparity between dancing and modelling alone would have put many other agencies off that contract. But Rocha is a rare breed; a dancer whose skills add to, rather than impede, the modelling package.

Elite has risen to the top by focusing not on the good, but on the great. In aiming for the best, they have achieved a level of success unrivalled in the industry, and it was all done on instinct. Yes, industry know-how played its part too, but listening to an instinct, however wrong it may seem, is what has put this agency at the top of the game. Elite acted on that instinct when signing Rocha, and it is that very same instinct that is responsible for each and every of one of those 5 million bookings.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILE: PREMIER

Premier Models was founded over 25 years ago by former model Carole White and her brother, Chris Owen. Premier now has over 200 models on its books, and has over the years helped to shape the careers of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kirsty Hume and Christy Turlington. Premier has proven its name within the fashion industry as a credible and authoritative presence.

This impressive pedigree has established Premier as one of the leading agencies in Europe. Its ‘Main Board’, which deals with established talent, can count successful campaigns and high-profile runway work among its models’ achievements.

However, Premier is just as well known for ‘Premier Special’, a division for boosting the profile of clients from the world of entertainment. Where Premier differs from other agencies is that it has focused on the cross-over of these non-fashion clients into the world of high-fashion, with personal appearances, advertising and PR for major brands. No better example of the success of this strategy can be seen in the career of one of Premier Special’s most notable signings: Cheryl Cole.

Cheryl’s meteoric rise from Popstars wannabe to X Factor judge has seemingly occurred with heady speed and meeting very little resistance. Of course, anyone who moves this far and fast up the ladder has done so with a lot of hard work behind the scenes. To quote Judy Garland, there is no such thing as an ‘overnight sensation’.

Cheryl has, with the team at Premier, manoeuvred her budding fame from being the tomboy-ish one in Girls Aloud to the status of household name. It is doubtful that there is anyone left in the UK who is not at least familiar with Cheryl Cole the brand – the face alone sells it.
With the fashion know-how accrued at Premier, Cheryl has graduated from girl-band fodder to style headliner. Premier has made sure that her style is at the forefront of every article written about her. Her wardrobe choices are exhaustively covered in the fashion press – just five years ago, editors would never have even considered including her on any ‘Best Dressed’ List - now she is at the very top of the fashion tree.

If you want proof what Premier can do for a celebrity’s image, watch any episode from the last series of ‘X Factor’. Premier have not focused on Cheryl’s beauty (which would have been the obvious route to take), but on her personality. It is Cheryl’s charisma is what makes her so watchable – she outshines everybody, and that includes the contestants. Now very much a fixture on the talent show, Simon Cowell has ensured that she stays for at least another series. He knows that ITV have a stellar selling-point in Cheryl: home-spun Geordie warmth combined with killer heels have proved an irresistible siren call to the British public.

Premier’s other success stories include signing a German model called Diane Heidkruger. When she wanted to go into acting, she became Diane Kruger. So far her acting credits include working alongside Nicolas Cage and Brad Pitt. Models-turned-actresses are not meant to build such an impressive resume so quickly. Along with a long-standing affiliation with Chanel, It’s proof that the Premier formula works. Fashion sense + PR savvy = a client who is never out of the spotlight for long. Applying lessons learnt in the modelling world (eg: pro-active scouting for new talent; exploring and tailoring off-shoots of opportunity), Premier have taken the worlds of entertainment and fashion and made one indistinguishable from the other. Where the two used to be on friendly terms but very much separate, they now co-exist quite happily: think of Oscar night if you still need to be convinced that fashion and celebrity have never been closer. But Premier has recognised that a strong image in itself is not enough: if you want to stay in the limelight, you better have something to say that is worth listening to.

What Premier knows best is that if you want to get your message across, a little charm goes a long way. Premier has used its knowledge and influence in the fashion world, not only to secure a strong base of modelling talent, but has actively shaped the way we view celebrities. With the momentous success of Premier girls like Cheryl Cole, Diane Kruger, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Lucy Liu comes the advent of a new kind of celebrity. He or she may not be perfect, but they have an edge to them, which makes them different and that in turn makes them interesting. They are not pre-packaged and media-trained to within an inch of their lives – the best signings at Premier prove that vulnerability and imperfection capture the public’s interest like nothing else.

Premier has ensured that the cult of celebrity, while never going out of fashion exactly, continues in a new direction. Taking lessons learnt from the modelling industry, Premier has homed in on the importance of being earnest. It’s compelling, refreshing and very, very seductive.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: NEXT

Started up in 1989 and only representing a few girls, NEXT model management now possesses the largest network of agencies on the planet. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and affiliates as far afield as Sydney, NEXT has ensured that it has its eyes firmly on any up-and-coming talent: if a new face is creating a buzz, NEXT will definitely hear about it.

NEXT has simply founded its reputation on one core idea: beauty. Representing names such as Petra Nemcova, Jessica Miller, Molly Sims and Anja Rubik (pictured) – these girls are all famous within the modelling community for giving good face.

The fact that an agency can grow and develop so rapidly within the space of twenty years on the strength of this one concept may seem puzzling when you consider the high-fashion editorial looks of models such as Lily Cole and Agyness Deyn, who are both very much in vogue. Surely this type of face makes more money? Isn’t that what editors and advertisers want? Strong editorial edge, grit and ample fashion appeal?

While an edgy, fashion-forward face may work when lent to a cosmetics brand aimed at women under 25, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to selling products generally, pretty trumps edgy every time.

NEXT have long understood the power of conventional beauty. It may not move fashion forward in daring and dazzling new directions, but it is a palpable force the world over. The power of a face with good symmetry, bone structure and clear, strong features cannot be underestimated.

Tests have been run by showing very young babies (before the advance of speech or peer influence), photos of human faces. Without exception, the babies responded to the conventionally attractive faces more than the everyday ones. The conclusion? Humans are genetically pre-programmed to respond favourably to beauty.

NEXT exploits this fact to their advantage. Using classically-beautiful models (often harder to find than an editorial girl), they have actively chosen to build a book of talent around the principle of timeless, rather than chase that instant, of-the-moment look.

Their reputation for scouting the best talent is clear when you consider just a small batch of names from their Women’s Division. Names like Anja Rubik, Filippa Hamilton and Jessica Miller may not have the immediacy of a Moss or a Deyn, but their faces are everywhere.

Beauty has always equalled desire, and companies are clamouring to get these girls behind their products. In the advertising industry, it is one of the rarest and most desirable commodities, second only to celebrity. These girls are routinely booked for major campaigns, and as a consequence, their faces (if not their names) are among the most recognisable within the fashion industry.

These faces sell products because they are attractive, yes, but more importantly, it is a type of face that can be projected onto any image the client wants. From perfume and cosmetics to lingerie and sportswear, a NEXT model can lend their look to any of them and not look out of place. Versatility sells, and true beauty is very, very versatile.

NEXT has, from its substantial agency network dotted around the globe, proof that whatever the mood of the fashion world, there is always money in pretty. Quite simply, regardless of where fashion takes the modelling industry, beauty will never go out of style.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: IMG

In an age where small is beautiful, IMG stands above the parapet of the modelling world. Boasting branches dotted around the globe (Paris, London, Milan and New York), IMG is a fashion colossus.

It is responsible for some of the most famous faces in modelling. Its roster of past and present faces reads like an encyclopaedia entry under ‘modelling’. Naomi Campbell, Jessica Stam, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Tyra Banks, Erin Wasson and Maggie Rizer have all been affiliated with the agency at some point in their careers.

With an international agency of this size, you could be forgiven for assuming that new talent could get lost in the crowd. Not so with IMG. It could very easily stick with a dozen or so trusted faces – some of the names listed above would comfortably ensure the agency’s survival for the next five years – but instead of resting on its laurels, IMG strives to move on. It takes chances and readily gambles on models that fall outside the mainstream fashion trajectory.

Daria Werbowy, Gemma Ward and Alek Wek are models, who under a different agency at a different time would not have gained any further appeal than with the most avant-garde designers. Now they are well-known in the wider arena of the fashion world, winning international campaigns with big designer brands and cosmetic companies. IMG has exploded the misconception that fashion is a local business: what is popular with London-based clients will not translate to Paris and so on. IMG has made modelling a truly international industry.

A multi-strand corporation diving into many areas of traditional and virtual media, IMG has applied what it has learnt about promotion, management and development from the worlds of sport and entertainment. Where this principle has succeeded most is where models have themselves become their own brand.

Gisele Bundchen is arguably the most recognisable face in modelling today. She has walked runways for every major designer, appeared on countless magazine covers and editorial spreads, but it is the application of her name and image to advertisers outside the immediate fashion industry that has made her globally recognised. (Having a look that can be applied to virtually any product on the planet doesn’t hurt either). Gisele has sold everything from perfume to watches, all with equal aplomb. Even landing small acting roles in films such as ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, continues to boost her profile – just in case there’s anyone left who doesn’t know who she is.

IMG has transformed the modelling industry’s goals and aspirations. It is no longer enough to be ‘just a model’. The smart kids entering the modelling world today know that modelling in itself is only a finite career. With an ever-shifting aesthetic, even if you’re the hardest-working model in town, you can be literally in fashion one week, and out the next.

To last, and maintain any level of success, one must think bigger: what is it about me that makes me different? To turn yourself into a brand to be marketed and developed is a relatively new concept, and one that IMG is compellingly good at.

It has taken advantage of the fact that the world’s media now feed off each other, with an ever-circulating exchange of information. Rather than making it a cynical exercise in profiteering, IMG has placed the PR game in a very intelligent way.

Playing to models’ (and clients’) strengths, models can now be equally well-known through a variety of avenues. Heidi Klum, another noteable IMG name, is just as well known for her long-standing affiliation with lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret, as she is for producing her own fine jewellery line and presenting perennial fashion TV favourite, ‘Project Runway’. Having Heidi onboard has secured the programme a level of kudos highly unusual for a television series dealing directly with the world of fashion. The two worlds have not traditionally had a happy time of it together. But ‘Project Runway’ is an example of how careful management can get the balance right. Part of the programme’s appeal can be directly attributed to the impressively high-profile guests who regularly appear on the programme. A television show that has Michael Kors as a regular panel judge, and designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Francisco Costa appearing as guests, must be doing something right.

IMG offers up a valuable lesson in how to make the most of every opportunity, and more crucially, playing to your strengths. The days of models routinely retiring at 22 are long gone. IMG has grasped the mettle of the world’s media and has defined for an entire generation, how a photogenic face can become a fortune.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: SELECT

Select has a very unique place within modelling history. Founded over 30 years ago by sisters Clare and Chrissie Castagnetti and their friend Tandy Anderson, Select has established itself as the no.1 modelling agency in the UK.

The thing that sets it apart from other long-standing agencies is a special claim to fame. Select had the novel, and pioneering, idea of not just relying on finding new faces via applications and word-of-mouth. They took their search to the streets.

Scoping the streets for a new, fresh face that could be moulded and groomed into something special had never been done before. Scouting, as it came to be known, transformed the way the modelling industry operated.

This has now become such an integral part of the business, that even those who profess to know nothing about modelling know the term ‘scout’ and more importantly, what a scout does. This approach has not only paid dividends for Select, but for the modelling world in general: some of the most exciting finds of the last twenty years have been thanks to the eagle eyes of a scout: Kate Moss, Jourdan Dunn, Sophie Dahl and Jessica Stam were all discovered far beyond the walls of an agency.

This method has blown apart the pre-conceptions people have about the modelling world being a closed book. Scouting has provided an element of excitement and opportunity into an industry, which is by its very nature, elitist. Yes, agencies still want the best, but now the best models of the next five years might be found trawling the rails at Topshop.

Every agency, subsequent to Select’s pioneering approach, now has scouts working on their behalf. Select has proven the success of this method, with faces that were discovered through scouting now working on international campaigns. Their New Faces team also has an impressive success rate: Lily Donaldson, Agyness Deyn, Daisy Lowe and Paul Sculfor have all started their careers at Select.

Maintaining an internationally-renowned client base, Select continues to explore new possibilities with its Special Bookings division. Former model Alexa Chung and music wunderkind V V Brown being just two of their signings, shows that Select has a very clear vision of what is current. To ensure an agency’s survival in these difficult times, no skill is more essential.

Select’s legacy, if it can be summed up at this point in their history, is a democratisation of modelling. In the 1950’s, models were the daughters of aristocrats, and it showed. This all changed in the free-wheeling Sixties with the discovery of an ordinary working-class girl with an extraordinary look. Twiggy’s discovery re-shaped the future for models, but it wasn’t until Select came up with the idea of scouting that modelling became a truly open market.

They have created a democracy of opportunity for models: opportunity based on merit, rather than breeding. This thoroughly modern approach has revolutionised modelling and fashion. You just have to flick through the pages of the latest Vogue to spot the names of talents, who 50 years ago, would not have been allowed anywhere near a catwalk: Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Julien McDonald, Gareth Pugh and Henry Holland to name just a few.

Select’s willingness to open the doors of the fashion industry has resulted in a truly unique collection of talent (designers, photographers as well as models), which is now at the forefront of the British fashion industry, pushing it on to newer, bigger and better. Making modelling accessible has changed the aesthetic of designers, and in turn, fashion itself. Select has ensured not only its survival, but its evolution.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: MODELS 1

For an agency that now boasts five divisions and a database of 7000 clients, Models 1 started from far humbler numbers over forty years ago.

Founded in 1968, Models 1 had just three models on its books. Against these odds, the agency developed and flourished into the largest and most successful agency in Europe. Forty years on, it is one of the most notable players on the modelling stage.

Models 1 have a roll-call that is the envy of every other agency. Not content to rest on the shoulders of one stellar signing, Models 1 has diversified into a multi-division behemoth. Its longevity can with some certainty be pinned down to the fact that Models 1 has recognised that there is strength in numbers.

Listing just some of the names attached to Models 1 makes it clear that this agency is central to the world of modelling:

Agyness Deyn
Amber Valletta
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Noemie Lenoir
Karolina Kurkova

These are only a few of the names attached to Models 1. The agency has cemented its fashion cache in recent years with high-fashion signings Agyness Deyn and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Deyn’s iconic look in particular has come to define a whole new wave of street fashion. Deyn’s influence over popular fashion is not something that should be overlooked. Her unique style is now much copied, and as much a part of pop culture as Topshop and YouTube. When fashion commentators look back on this time, Deyn’s face will be indelibly marked on it. Having the guts to sign someone as tide-changing as Deyn proves that age does not mean an agency is stuck in its past. With Deyn, Models 1 has secured its future and place within the modelling industry.

Of course, Models 1 has used its years of influence to create a mightily-impressive client list. Annually working with 1200 clients, Models 1 has links with the worlds of haute couture, ready-to-wear, through to the stalwarts of the high street.

What makes Models 1 special is that it doesn’t just focus on the current face du jour. Its Classic Women division can cite campaigns with skincare brands Garnier and Clarins. They also represent Twiggy and Marie Helvin, a reminder of Models 1’s extensive legacy.

True to form, Models 1 has cultivated a huge and diverse client base. They have built substantial working relationships with major brands such as Marks and Spencer – something that can only happen with the benefit of insight and experience. It is this huge range of clients (quite literally, Prada to Peugeot), that makes Models 1 stand apart from its competitors.

Despite their size, Models 1, from day one, have adhered to a very simple philosophy: a model’s welfare is in their strongest, most absolute, interests. They have a very good industry-wide reputation when it comes to their models. No new model is thrown out into the big, bad world without knowing the basics. Just as they build and develop existing talents’ careers, Models 1 sensibly recognise that new faces need just as much attention, sometimes more. Therefore, when a fresh Models 1 signing goes out on castings, they are prepared, professional and focused.

Working with existing talent has also brought its own rewards: names like Crawford, Evangelista, Kurkova and Valletta are the reason why Models 1 has such a strong foothold in the industry. When a model can be recognised by a surname alone, it is an indicator that there has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes getting them to that point.

Where Models 1 is succeeding currently, is with the batch of faces that are making a comeback within the modelling industry: Karolina Kurkova and Linda Evangelista are proof that there is such a thing as a second act in a model’s career. You are not necessarily done and dusted by the age of 25. Evangelista’s prolific affiliation with brands such as L’Oreal shows that Models 1 is committed to providing iconic faces at every age. The shift in advertising to target skincare aimed at consumers over 40, using models over 40, is a significant about-turn that Models 1 has taken advantage of. While other agencies have been focusing in the newer faces in the pack, Models 1 has used its extensive back-catalogue to devastating effect.

The final pointer to just how highly-regarded Models 1 is within the fashion industry, is best defined by the fact that they are the agency every ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ season winner has been signed to. It is the most substantial, glittering prize waved at the hopefuls who take part in the televised modelling competition. It’s no wonder with a year’s contract on offer that the competition gets so ruthless.

Every BNTM winner has gone on to achieve some degree of success within the industry (Cycle 2 winner Lianna Fowler has appeared in both British and Russian Vogue – a distinction yet to be equalled by another other BNTM contestant). The fact that the show’s producers have chosen Models 1 as the grand prize shows how it is perceived, not only by fashion insiders, but the world at large. Models 1 are a force to be reckoned with. With a history of forty years to draw upon, it has the skills and the know-how to exist for forty more, and beyond.

HELEN TOPE

Agency profiles: STORM

Storm, one of the modelling industry's most established fixtures, can sum up its mission statement in one word: risk.

No other agency has worked so tirelessly at pushing the boundaries of modelling and fashion. If this weren't enough in itself, Storm has succeeded in changing how an agency's role is perceived. Recognising that opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, Storm has gone further (and faster) by extending the shelf-life of its models, by working with them to create new and lucrative opportunities.

Agency founder Sarah Doukas, after working for another agency for seven years, decided to risk it all and set up her own modelling agency. After impressing Richard Branson with her business acumen, she secured financial backing to make Storm a reality. In 1987, operating from a tiny house in Battersea, Storm was open for business.

Sarah Doukas was very clear on how she wanted Storm to differ from other agencies. Her aim was to launch the first UK-based modelling agency that represented new talent she'd discovered herself. It was this principle that underpinned the entire business. Luckily for Storm, Doukas soon secured a reputation on her ability to spot a face. Not just any face, but that one-in-a-million, unforgettable face. Walking through a New York airport in 1988, Sarah spotted a girl on her way home after a family vacation. The girl was Kate Moss, and that discovery single-handedly ensured Storm's survival in an ultra-competitive industry.

Doukas' lucky find should not be under-estimated. Before Kate Moss, the very idea of a supermodel under 5' 8" was laughable. Sarah's willingness to take a chance on the girl from Croydon changed the course of modern fashion.

Storm's eye for diversity has launched some of the most striking and original faces in the industry. The landscape of the modelling world would look very different without Storm discoveries such as Alek Wek, Devon Aoki, Jourdan Dunn and Lily Cole. Storm, more than any other agency, has made a point of consistently challenging the boundaries of the fashion industry. These faces, while representing very different takes on beauty, all have one thing in common: without them, the trajectory of the fashion world would have gone in a very different direction.

Storm also expanded to become the first UK agency to market and book models directly with international clients. It was a radical departure from the role of traditional agencies that paid off: this worked so well that overseas agencies began trusting Storm to look after their own discoveries. But Storm's key strength is its ambition to diversify and grow, even in challenging economic times.

Storm took their know-how of marketing their models and branched out into licensing and branding. A model could quite literally become a brand. There is no better example of this than what Storm achieved with Kate Moss. By the turn of the millennium, Kate was at the top of her game - the model every designer and editor wanted to work with.

Sarah Doukas, along with Moss, made an intelligent leap of faith. Kate Moss, is synonymous with high fashion and modelling, but her own look, how she steps out of the house each morning, has been exhaustively profiled and replicated within the fashion press. Part of Kate's popularity with designers has always been her keen sense of personal style. Doukas knew that there was something in this. The idea blossomed into the hugely profitable collaboration between Moss and Topshop. It was an immediate success, with teenage girls everywhere being able to buy into the 'Kate Moss look'. Striking a fine balance between aspirational and attainable, this collaboration has taken off in ways far beyond anyone's expectations.

This highly lucrative sub-industry of Brand Moss has developed in turn to launch perfumes and a haircare range in conjunction with Moss' close friend, hairdresser James Brown. Everybody can buy a dress, or a bottle of perfume or shampoo, and feel that they are buying a little piece of Kate's style. This daring and innovative idea has made millions, and changed the face of the modelling industry forever. It is now no longer enough to scout talent, it must be nurtured and developed.

Thanks to its bold, risk-taking approach, Storm in the space of just 20 years, has carved out a unique place for itself in modelling history. It has transformed fashion, and more importantly, the fashion world's notion of beauty. Ethnicity and diversity have become celebrated as the subject of desire and aspiration. Faces that twenty years ago, would never have stood a chance of breaking into the modelling industry, are being given a chance thanks to the vision of Sarah Doukas. This is perhaps Storm's most remarkable and enduring achievement.

HELEN TOPE