SAINT model sizzles for Valentino
Spanish Town’s Jessie Craig is a Paris Fashion Week runway darling
Published:Sunday | October 6, 2024 | 12:09 AM
Chalk up another big win for SAINT International’s top model-making factory. Spanish Town resident Jessie Craig, scouted by the agency’s chief executive officer Deiwght Peters at Eltham High School two years ago, made her global introduction at Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2025 show last Sunday during Paris Fashion Week.
If Craig’s landing in the line-up of the most anticipated fashion show in Paris was not remarkable enough – it was too, the first outing for former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele as Valentino’s new lead – the 20-year-old debutante was further anointed the distinction as the closing model for Michele’s 85-piece collection reveal which had legendary artiste Elton John, pop powerhouse Harry Styles and Oscar-nominated actress Salma Hayek among the front row seated celebrities.
For the Spanish Town-born high fashion newcomer, she quickly recognised the weight of importance being assigned to her. “I recall when I arrived at the show venue, and they told me that there were 85 looks for the show and I was number 85, I messaged ‘Pops’ (Peters’ nickname to his models) same time and told him,” Craig recounted to The Sunday Gleaner. “He was very happy and explained that it was a major moment in fashion history because the designer was new to the house of Valentino and the world would be watching,” she added.
Within the fashion industry, a model chosen to open or close a show ranks as a pride of place on one’s resume, as either position is typically reserved for supermodels, celebrities, or models on the verge of stardom. With heightened global media interest to see what Michele would send down the runway, backstage at Valentino last weekend, Craig said she was fully prepared to bring her A-game.
“In my mind, I was thinking about the layout of the runway and how excited I am to be the closing model for my first-ever show. I was super excited but nervous at the same time because I knew as a closing model, I had to bring the energy to the runway. I was confident because this was a moment I was trained for, and I had to deliver.”
Did she happen to have occasion to meet the designer Michele throughout her Valentino experience? “Yes, during the castings and callbacks, I met him,” she told The Sunday Gleaner. “He is very focused and nice. He made me very comfortable, and I could see his talent. The clothes were just beautiful and made me feel powerful and elegant. I am looking forward to working with him again.”
Work previously for Craig was behind the counter of her father’s St Catherine-based hardware store. But, with her seismic Valentino break in Paris, she is trading in paint cans and power tools to become a called-upon face for luxury fashion houses.
To the man strategically positioning her burgeoning career, Peters revealed that Craig was directly booked from Jamaica weeks before even setting foot in France. “I worked with SELECT Paris modelling agency to guide the submission to the casting team at Valentino. There was so much buzz around Alessandro’s debut at the legendary maison that I wanted to make sure a Saint was on that runway, and Jessie’s look was a fit. There were a number of great options for Jessie, so I wanted everyone, especially her, to be happy.”
Of his ingenue’s long-term industry potential, Peters shared: “Like I told her from Day 1, her look is very different but reminded me of a 1980s supermodel reference. This is why I opted for her to go with the boyish look and change from her initial processed hair.”
On the heels of her life-changing runway turn for Valentino, Craig strutted for iconic designer Miuccia Prada’s Miu Miu collection. The Caribbean catwalker also made the cut for the Disneyland Paris-set Coperni Spring/Summer 2025 show that wrapped Paris Fashion Week last Tuesday night, with billionaire entrepreneur Kylie Jenner as the closing model.