Orville Spence creates harmony with Wasomi Beauty

After tapping into the beauty scene two years ago, photographer and entrepreneur Orville Spence is now looking to shift the narrative and start new creative conversations with his company, Wasomi Beauty Talent and Modelling Agency.

His motivation for starting this modelling agency stems from levelling the playing field and giving those who have a knack for fierceness the opportunity to hone their craft, so that they can proudly put their skills on display for the world to see.

“We’re here to help promote anyone with a talent who wants to try modelling, in particular those who are petite, but who have not been given the chance to shine,” he told Saturday Living.

Once he noticed that the industry, local and overseas, placed focus on making certain height and stature requirements, he decided to seize the moment for others who hadn’t ticked all the boxes, but still walked with that illuminating ‘it’ factor. “A lot of international agencies want models [to be] 5 ‘9 or 5 ‘10 and over when there are shorter girls capable of dominating the space; they just don’t have the height,” he said adding, “What we’re schooling them with is since they’re height deficient, they have to possess other talents to go with it that will be marketable.”

This leads to another significant factor that weighed heavily in his choice to embark on this venture: the demand for growth and development and compensation, outside of training, “We saw that other agencies were using them for money without arming them with necessary tools to change the face of fashion. Many models are paying money for representation but are unable to really see the fruits of their labour.”

Recently, scores of style lovers made their way to Pollyanna in Kingston for Spence’s runway event, Fashion Night Out. The showcase, spearheaded by the creative, returned mainstream last weekend after its debut in 2022.

“Our return this year was a necessary step to take in order to remain relevant and show that it can be done in a way that people are entertained by fashion.

Taking the spotlight with each confident strut, this exciting fashion show featured close to 10 local designers, ranging from upcoming talents to style stars in the business. As a lifestyle photographer, Spence has been able to network with others in the fashion industry. And it was through having these in-depth conversations about styling, branding and recognition that he was encouraged to restore the dream once deferred.

Rocking the style platform in elegant, stunning and casually chic fashion were Endlesz Designz, Notchilious Tee-Shirt Kafe, Mal Designs, N’Gazi and swimwear designs by Clothing Manipulator, just to name a few. “Some of them are very new to the fashion business. So I’m grateful that they took that leap of faith with us.”

Spence described the show as an amazing experience, noting that attendees seemed to be engaged and entertained from beginning to end, “That was a good sign. It felt like a family affair. Everyone was actively involved. The audience cheered, laughed and applauded the pieces and the models.”

With Wasomi, he is planning to collaborate with advertising agencies and is currently connecting with brands through social networking. “We send our models on casting calls and we’re able to source work for them, based on the nature of the business. All of our models get paid,” the entrepreneur highlighted.

Additionally, he hopes to gain more awareness and opportunity for his clients, “We are working towards seeing the models really earning from doing something that they love.”

His advice to aspiring models is to find a very good photographer who can help with building and bringing high quality to your portfolio. “Research and see what agencies are doing to see which one works for you.” For those not meeting the height requirement, he recommends adding a talent to your resume. It could be singing, dancing, acting, poetry or drawing. This will help you to make waves in the sea of talent.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com