Fri | Mar 29, 2024

SAINT’s islandwide model search wins support from MPs

Published:Saturday | May 14, 2022 | 12:07 AM
Deiwght Peters and Angela Brown Burke are flanked by model hopefuls.
Deiwght Peters and Angela Brown Burke are flanked by model hopefuls.

SAINT International is crisscrossing the island to find faces to make their mark on the global fashion markets. The community-focused search to discover Jamaica’s next generation of supermodels continues this weekend and will culminate on Labour Day, May 23, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

The team has already trekked to Annotto Bay, St Mary; Port Morant, St Thomas; and Spanish Town Road in St Andrew, with scores of young male- and female-model hopefuls turning out. It is also winning the enthusiastic support of members of parliament (MPs) from both sides of the political divide.

“I was pleased to host the [model] scouting exercise, and actually excited at the prospects and the potential for youths in the constituency,” Angela Brown Burke, MP for South West Andrew, said of the search which she assisted in organising at Caribbean Palms Community Centre last month.

“I agreed to help because I’ve seen the difference it has made for young people who never thought they could have this opportunity,” Burke added.

In its 22-year history, the Deiwght Peters-led modelling agency has transformed the lives of many inner-city teenagers who have realised tremendous success in the international fashion space. This success has translated into Allman Town resident Kai Newman becoming a campaign face for Ralph Lauren; Central Village-raised Barbra-Lee Grant and Denham Town resident Kimali Morgan starring in Balenciaga ads; Waterhouse-born Shena Moulton fronting campaigns for Marc Jacobs; and Trench Town resident, Sosheba Griffiths, working with Givenchy and Victoria’s Secret.

For Norman Dunn, MP for St Mary South Eastern, it was an easy decision to host the community search in his parish. “It was an excellent chance for the young people and I’m even more inclined to host another, much larger scouting exercise for the entire parish,” Dunn disclosed. “Deiwght and SAINT is to fashion as Bob Marley is to reggae. I was happy to have been able to work with them and look forward to the continued partnership.”

Also championing the countrywide community model search is St Thomas Eastern MP Dr Michelle Charles. “I am always willing to give my young people opportunities, and this was a good one. I have always been impressed with SAINT and their success in the fashion industry is one to be celebrated.”

Peters noted that after two decades of charting model successes in Paris, Milan, London and New York, he remains excited at discovering new talent.

“These community model searches are part of the manifestation of the agency’s ethos ‘Changing lives…expanding horizons’. It is deliberate and unapologetic. If SAINT can change one life by giving this incredible opportunity for young people, it’s a definite win,” he told The Gleaner.

Model hopefuls being sought are required to be between 15 and 25 years of age. Females should be between five feet nine inches and six feet in height, while males need to be between six feet and six feet four inches.

The search continues today at Claude McKay High School in Clarendon and Mona High in St Andrew, and on Sunday at Eltham High in Spanish Town and Independence City Primary in Portmore, St Catherine.