Nina: Ebony from Ivory

Forget that she has strutted down the catwalks of fashion greats Kenzo, Guy Laroche, Dries Van Noten, and Issey Miyake. Ignore the fact that Benetton once displayed her face in their Paris boutique for one of their Spring—Summer campaigns or that hair specialist Garnier flew her to South Africa for two TV campaigns. Forget that her portfolio is a drool-worthy collection of editorials for Flaunt, Trace, and Self Service magazines. While you’re at it, completely overlook the in-your-face fact that she is gorgeous. She’d rather that you did. Nina may be one of Paris’ upcoming mannequins but she has neither the snot-nosed attitude nor the diva complex to back it up. She’ll insist that she’s another 21-year-old braving a foreign country. Being a recognized model in the birthplace of fashion should not change anything.

Ask her about it and Nina will tell you that her life is nothing extraordinary. At 18 and straight out of high school, she left her homeland Ivory Coast to attend business school in Paris. Resurrecting one of the modeling world’s biggest clichés, she was approached in a club by an agent and asked if she was interested to model. Nina shrugged off the offer, thinking he was a fake – possibly trying a pick-up line. Two weeks later, she receives that all-important call which eventually brought her to Karin, one of Paris’ noted agencies, and secured her a passport to job offers most models can only bust a brain cell dreaming about.

It was her studies though, and not modeling, which took her to the Philippines. Essca, the business school she is enrolled in, requires their students to take a six—month international program. Nina decided to complete the program in Asia and ended up in the Philippines, her fifth choice (Japan was first).

The Philippines may have not topped her preferred destinations but Nina is far from bitching about it. Despite only being in the country for a little over a month, she has already maxed out her tourist privileges having traversed almost the entire Luzon (she has been to Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Batangas, and Subic). Weekends are strictly reserved for adventure-seeking. Her first weekend in the country found her taking a speedy four-day crash course in diving. The next few ones will see her flying out to Bohol to take full advantage of her newly-acquired skill.

To some people Nina may be living a dream – travel oppor-tunities, rubbing elbows with top designers and supermodels, endorsing world-class brands and enjoying authentic French crois-sant while she’s at it. But to the dark beauty, she is only living life as she is supposed to – with both her doe eyes open, all senses on full throttle, and her priorities intact.

What do you love best about modeling?

You can earn a lot of money in modeling. They pay really well in Paris although it wasn’t like that at first. It is easier for me now because I’ve been doing a lot more jobs.

What do you least like?

I don’t really know. Sometimes, I don’t like doing just pictorials. It’s always the same thing, and sometimes you don’t like the makeup or you don’t like what they ask you to do. Sometimes they can even make you look ugly. I prefer doing ads because they make sure you look good. I also like doing fashion shows.

Whom do you idolize?

I like a lot of models. My favorite, though, is Liya Kebede. She’s very nice and very quiet. She’s a very simple girl. We did catwalk shows for Guy Laroche, Kenzo and Dries Van Noten together.

How did you feel when you were first discovered?

I didn’t really care. At first, I thought the guy who approached me was lying. Two weeks later, he called and said I had an appointment with this agency so I went and one of the bookers there asked me if I wanted to model. I said yes. Two weeks later, I had my first job.

What was the first modeling job you ever did? How did you feel?

It was for an ad for a makeup brand called Black Up. It’s makeup specially made for black girls. I felt really excited and I felt really lucky. Three years ago, black girls didn’t really have that much work so I felt proud.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve done?

I did two TV ads for Garnier. We shot it in South Africa. I was really excited about doing it. The people were really nice and they were very professional.

What are the lessons you’ve learned from modeling?

You cannot trust everybody. There are a lot of liars in this industry. The only person you can really trust is your booker.

What can you say about the people you work with back in Paris?

They are generally nice. I work a lot with nice people. I can tell them what I prefer and what I would like to do. They listen to what the models like.

Is the modeling scene in Paris really as competitive as they say it is?

Yes it is.

Did you ever think you’d be a model?

When I was young, I really wanted to be a model but I always thought I was too short. But I guess I’m lucky. I am the youngest black model in Paris who lives there and I am also the smallest.

What’s your dream job?

I want to open shopping malls in the Ivory Coast. I want to open a small one at first, probably one with 15 shops and I want to have brands like Zara, Mango, and H&M. Before that though, I would want to start out with opening a shop that will sell clothes imported from Bangkok.

That’s a pretty big dream.

Yes it is. But I know I’ll be able to do it. You have to believe in your dreams.

Where else in the world have you modeled aside from Paris?

Well, I have an agency in New York and I went there twice to do test shoots. I’d like to go back sometime next year because there is a bigger market for black girls in the States than in Paris. I also have an agency in Milan and I’ve been there once and an agency in Japan which I plan to visit in November.

What are the pressures that come with being an international model?

Modeling is like a game for me. It’s not really a full-time job because I go to school every day. I’m a full-time student above everything else. I don’t feel pressured to really look or act like a model. I don’t think everybody has to look at me. I always wear rubbershoes. I rarely wear heels. I wear little makeup. Back in Paris, I just look like any other 21-year-old girl.

Have you met any famous designers? What can you say about them?

I’ve met Dries Van Noten when I did a catwalk show for him. He’s quite shy. He doesn’t really talk much. I’ve also met Gilles Rosier, the designer of Kenzo. I met Issey Miyake before he retired. He’s a really nice person, really nice. I can’t tell you more. It was my first catwalk job. I don’t have the words to describe him. I only have good things to say about these designers. I was really surprised when I met them because I didn’t think you’d see them during castings and I was surprised because they take time to really see you. They’re not snobbish at all.

Would you consider your job glamorous?

Yes of course. I get to wear nice dresses and when they put makeup on me, my face changes. Yes, it’s glamorous.

What places in the Philippines have you visited? What other places would you like to visit?

I’ve been to Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Batangas, Subic. I took diving lessons my first weekend here. I’m going to Bohol soon and Sagada. I like that you can do a lot of watersports here like jet skiing, wakeboarding although I don’t really know how to wakeboard. I tried it once and my legs were very painful afterward.

What do you miss most about Paris?

A lot of things. I miss my friends and I miss the nightlife in Paris, and the shopping. In Paris you have Zara, my favorite shop, which the Philippines doesn’t have.

What would you say is your edge over other models?

I don’t really know. We are all different. We never look the same. Maybe I look younger than some of them.

Would you consider yourself exotic?

No. I don’t know why they say "exotic" when describing black girls or Asian girls. I’m not OK with that. It’s only our color that is different.

How would you describe yourself then?

I’m like other girls my age. I may be lucky that I got into modeling, which not every girl can really get into but aside from that, I’m not much different.