Models-cum-entrepreneurs
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Forget acting. These models are turning cachet into cash with clothing and accessory lines Models-cum-entrepreneurs, Saturday Post
28 Sept 2002 Sure, they have million-dollar cosmetic campaigns, lingerie contracts, a slew of magazine covers and the bootlicking admiration of every photographer and designer from Vancouver to Cape Town. But, to an elite trio of catwalkers, modelling is old hat. They're in business for themselves now. Three of the world's top models -- Alek Wek, Anouck Lepère and Devon Aoki -- are putting glambition into overdrive and shrewdly creating fashion and accessory lines to capitalize on their sizzling-hot names. This fall, Sudanese stunner Alek Wek introduces Wek1933, a smart line of unisex leather bags and belts that proves the supermodel-cum-supermogul has mixed good IQ with her DNA. Her approach is hands-on, literally: She patterns the 23 styles with the lines of her palms and silk-screens the lining of each piece herself. "Bags carry people's identities," Wek explains, "so I wanted the bags to be top quality and hold up, but also to be very personal. That's how Briefcase came about. It was inspired by my father's briefcase as I was growing up. The fabrics are waterproofed and trimmed with calfskin, so it will last forever." Other pieces in the collection also draw inspiration from her childhood. Wek escaped to England with her sister from war-ravaged Sudan when she was 14. "Wek is my dad's family name, and 1933 is the year he was born. My parents were the first generation of Dinka to be educated and they worked hard to make sure that all their kids, including their daughters, received an education. Like my mum, my father was unsure about modelling, but he would like to see this if he were alive today. It's a way of honouring him." Using the colours from her own paintings -- dark chocolate, burnt red, ice blue -- Wek constructs weekenders, carryalls and belts from rustic materials such as sturdy waxed canvas and antique-finished hardware. "I use alligator, too," she says. "But it's American alligator, which is not an endangered species. I couldn't make a bag from an endangered animal just because it looked beautiful. Growing up with them, I could never kill them." Wek, who studied painting and product design at the London Institute, has always been in a class of her own. Her deep black visage, unstraightened hair, powerful runway gait and klieg-light smile make her stand out among the standouts and -- along with her jovial personality -- have helped her collect many accolades. She's been named MTV's Model of the Year and Model of the Decade by i-D magazine, and racked up an appearance on the Oprah show and, in a major coup, on the cover of American Elle. Another model making the looks-to-smarts leap is Belgium's Anouck Lepère. At 20, Lèpere has appeared in every major fashion magazine, from American Vogue and Harper's Bazaar to British alternative titles i-D and Pop, as well as in ad campaigns for Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein. Now, she's fashioning herself as a sculptor/designer. After finding there was a dearth of earrings for the non-pierced such as herself (her mother disapproves of the practice), the former architecture student sculpted a limited collection of earrings that can be moulded at different points around the ear. "The starting idea was to make a bendable earring using the natural form of the ear instead of piercing through it," says Lepère, a member of the new school of models that includes compatriots Hannelore Knuts and Roos Van Bosstraeten. "That way, you end up decorating your ear in a very different way from what you're used to. Now it's a full collection of earrings, necklaces and bracelets made of classic materials, like gold, silver and precious stones, but made in completely new ways." After only months, the line boasts Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and Christina Ricci among its devotees. But ear sculpture is only one of Lepère's accomplishments. She's also using her architectural prowess to renovate a dilapidated old house in her hometown of Antwerp, which she plans to divide and rent out. Then there's Devon Aoki. Her soon-to-be launched Devon Jeans was inspired by a serious habit of tinkering with her jeans. "I have always customized my jeans to extremes, so creating a jeans line of my own was a natural step," says Aoki, a pixie-like all-American of Japanese, English and German descent. "I'm actually designing two different denim collections. One is a casual line focusing on fit, comfort and wash, and the other is a high-end line that will be more tailored, with crazy embroidery and different kinds of embellishments in leather, silk, lace and velvet." A long-time favourite of directional designers Jeremy Scott, Issey Miyake and Patricia Field, as well as major European names like Fendi and Chanel, the 20-year-old Aoki has, most recently, attained the Holy Grail of the beauty industry by becoming the face of Lancôme. But clearly, she's not content to leave things there: "Being a model is not about being mute or being a coat hanger. It's about being someone with a voice and having a passion. There's got to be great passion for a person to want to engage in the creation of a line. I believe the creative process has to do with conviction, dedication and a strong idea of what style means to you."
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