Vanessa Milde’s dream walk in supermodel’s footsteps

Posted by mija on Sep 3, 2006 in News, Various | 0 comments

In the modelling world, it’s the stuff of fairytales. On the strength of a handful of digital “no make-up” photographs, Adelaide schoolgirl Vanessa Milde has been flown to New York and signed to IMG, the same international modelling firm that turned Perth teenager Gemma Ward into a supermodel.
“It’s pretty incredible. It didn’t really sink in until I was on the plane,” the 15-year-old said yesterday. “I was a tiny bit nervous but then I got there and got straight into it. I spent two nights living in the IMG model house doing castings, runway and a 10-page shoot for Nylon magazine.”
Vanessa’s dream run began in May, when she and her mother walked into Finesse Model Agency in Adelaide. “My initial reaction was, ‘sheer beauty’,” said Finesse owner Brigette Mitchell.
A week later, Ms Mitchell showed shots of Vanessa to IMG’s women’s development department head David Cunningham over lunch during Australian Fashion Week.
“I knew I was going to Sydney so I took some no make-up digis and carried them with me,” Ms Mitchell said. “I let David know I had a very new raw face and would he be interested if someone had what ittook.”
Mr Cunningham was very interested. He flew Vanessa to New York for three weeks of test shots and castings in July.
“Vanessa Milde has shown great potential as a fashion model,” an IMG spokesman said. “IMG is confident that Vanessa will have a successful future in the fashion industry.” Vanessa is now on IMG’s books alongside models including Daria Werbowy, Shalom Harlow, Gisele Bundchen and Ward. IMG represents her in New York, Paris, Milan and London, while Finesse will look after her in Australia.
Vanessa plans to juggle her modelling career around school at Tabor Christian College in Plympton.
Her first modelling job was for a catalogue for department store Harris Scarfe at age nine. “I only did that one Harris Scarfe catalogue, but then years later my ballet teacher said I’d be great for modelling and she told me to go to Finesse,” she said. “I’ve always been interested in fashion and loved the industry, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
Vanessa has put plans to be a lawyer on hold and is giving her all to becoming the next Gemma Ward. “I hope that the future will be good and that I will actually get somewhere in this career, and I’m confident in myself that I can,” she said.
Given her Big Apple aspirations, Vanessa is thrilled to be opening Australian Fashion Week in Melbourne on Monday for designer Toni Maticevski, who is showing at New York Fashion Week five days later.
“I’m really, really excited about doing the Toni Maticevski parade, because his clothes are just so beautiful,” she said.
The teenager is booked for six shows at AFW, after which it is back to Adelaide – for now.
“Eventually I will probably move overseas, but for the meantime while I’m young I’ll stay in Adelaide,” she said. “I’ll finish school first.”